BJP asked for review, not deletion: Karnataka MLA

BJP leaders in Belagavi said they did not violate any rule by submitting third-party objections using Form 7 during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Karnataka by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

“We believe that we have not violated any rule. However, if the officials come to the conclusion that we have made any mistake while checking our applications, let them reject our applications,” MLA and BJP leader Abhay Patil told reporters on October 2.

He denied the allegations that the BJP Booth Level Agents had violated the rules regarding filing third party objections against the inclusion of names.

“Congress leaders are accusing us of targeting Muslim voters. This is false. We have not targeted anyone. Our ground staff have noticed every suspicious voter and reported it to the concerned BLA. They have objected to the inclusion of dead, shifted, absent, duplicate and other suspicious voters,” Mr Patil said.

He alleged that a large number of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in Belagavi were illegally included in the electorate at the insistence of local Congress leaders. “We demand that these non-voters be removed. We are compiling a list of such voters in the district. We will publish it soon,” he said.

SIR: “Big Conspiracy” in Karnataka? DK Shivakumar alleges misuse of Form-7

There is a big conspiracy going on in Karnataka, many pre-printed Form 7s are being supplied to BJP, JD(S) leaders with the intention of wiping out eligible voters: Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar announces SIR problems in the state. | Video Credit: The Hindu

“Chief Minister DK Shivakumar claimed that our party cadre filed mass objections. This is not true. Our BLAs signed all the objections. Our party cadre may have transferred them to BLOs,” the MLA said.

“Congress leaders are saying that we have crossed the upper limit for filing objections per day. If that is the case, let the officers examine only those numbers that are valid and reject the rest,” he said. “In any case, we were only seeking control, not erasure.”

“Congress leaders have alleged that a BJP cadre forged the signature of a Congress worker and submitted the forms. My answer is: we are such fools,” Mr Patil said.

He accused the CM of trying to protect unauthorized voters and illegal foreigners in the electoral roll. “Therefore, it requests all BLOs to stop checking and surveying ineligible voters,” he said.

“Mr Shivakumar has falsely claimed that I went to the SIR officers and confessed my mistake. This is false and baseless. The CM should be ashamed of himself for telling such a blatant lie,” said Mr Patil.

Anil Benake, a former MLA, denied allegations that mass objections filed in Belagavi North constituency were against norms.

“Just because our objection requests were printed, we are facing allegations of accessing ECI’s Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) database. This is not true. We have done no such thing. We have based our objections on ground surveys,” Mr Benake said.

He denied allegations that BJP workers had threatened SIR officers.

“On the contrary, Congress workers threatened our BLA and BJP workers who visited the booths to submit objection forms. Some Congress workers forcibly took Form 7 from us and took it to the CM. Why did this happen? They should have been left with BLO. What’s more, Aman Sait, son of Congress MLA Asif Raju Sait, took these forms against the CM? him,” he said.

“The allegations that our workers impersonated ERO Uday Kumar Talwar are false. The Congress is making false allegations and filing false charges against us. All the FIRs filed across Karnataka in this matter are based on the provisions of the BNS and not on election-related laws. This is nothing but a technique to harass and coerce BJP workers,” Mr. Benake said.

He claimed that more than 80% of BLOs in Belagavi North constituency are from the Muslim community. “We complained about it to District Election Officer Mohammad Roshan, but he did not address the issue,” he said.

Published – 02 Oct 2026 16:25 IST