Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president B.K. Hariprasad on Thursday alleged that BJP MLA Abhay Patil had written to electoral authorities seeking the deletion of 2,500 voters in Belagavi, claiming the targeted voters belonged to the minority community. Speaking at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Hariprasad released documents he said supported the charge and stated the Election Commission had already informed the concerned persons that names could not be removed in the manner sought.
Hariprasad said applications in Form 7 had been filed seeking deletion of around 7,000 names in total, including 50 people allegedly registered at a single address, and that many applications lacked signatures. He demanded the arrest of those who submitted the forms, citing the EC's warning that bogus applications are punishable, and announced the Congress would file a formal complaint with the Commission.
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The Congress leader linked the episode to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Karnataka, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to deprive voters opposed to the ruling party of their franchise. He characterised the Belagavi case as a small example of what he described as a broader effort by Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove 13 crore names from voter lists nationwide. Patil represents the Belagavi South Assembly constituency.
