Bengaluru, Oct 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the Election Commission had clarified that no FIR could be registered in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process without a complaint from the Election Commission itself.
He alleged that the state government's action in registering FIRs was illegal, as the Commission had stated that it had not lodged any complaint.
Following the alleged filing of FIRs against BJP and JD(S) workers in connection with the SIR process, NDA leaders met State Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar and later spoke to the media outside the office of the Election Commission.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Bommai said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar was worried that the purification of the voter list could affect his political prospects in 2028.
“Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar came before the Election Commission, created a ruckus, put pressure on the Commission and acted unlawfully,” Bommai alleged.
He added that the Election Commission had made it clear that no FIR could be registered without a complaint from the Commission itself.
“The Election Commission must file the complaint,” he said.
Bommai further alleged that cases were being registered daily based on complaints filed by private individuals.
According to him, the Commission had clarified that private individuals were not authorised to seek FIRs in matters concerning the SIR process.
He claimed that the Commission had stated it had not filed complaints through any Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) or Booth Level Officer (BLO) and was not concerned with complaints filed by others.
“Consequently, the FIRs filed by the state government are illegal,” Bommai said.
He said that whether the issue related to Form 7 or Form 6 applications, NDA leaders had requested the Election Commission to issue directions preventing the police from registering complaints related to the SIR process.
Bommai added that the State Chief Electoral Officer had informed them that he had written to the Election Commission seeking clarification.
Referring to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Bommai said that last year he had alleged discrepancies in voter-list additions.
“Now, illegal voter names are being deleted, and he is saying they should not be deleted. This is his absurd argument,” Bommai alleged.
He further claimed that LoP Rahul Gandhi was concerned about the deletion of allegedly fake votes.
Bommai also accused LoP Rahul Gandhi of practising politics based on religion and caste.
He said the Election Commission itself had issued notices to 43 lakh people.
Responding to a question regarding the submission of Form 7 applications in groups, Bommai said EPIC numbers were available on the Election Commission website.
He added that the Commission receives complaints, verifies them and then takes action.
He also noted that courts had observed that no immediate action was required merely because a Form 7 complaint had been submitted.
Union Ministers H.D. Kumaraswamy and Shobha Karandlaje, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, and other BJP and JD(S) leaders were present on the occasion.
Source: IANS
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