Belagavi SIR officers turn down BJP MLA's plea to delete 2,598 voters
Electoral officials in Belagavi North have rejected BJP MLA Abhay Patil's request to scrutinise and delete around 2,598 voters, citing the absence of any bulk-deletion provision under SIR.
Election Commission of India officers overseeing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Belagavi North have declined a request from BJP MLA Abhay Patil to scrutinise and remove roughly 2,598 voters in his constituency.
M. Karthik, Belagavi city corporation commissioner and Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), conveyed the decision in a reply to the MLA, noting that the SIR process carries no legal mechanism for bulk scrutiny or deletion of electors. He added that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) retain the option of raising objections against doubtful inclusions through the relevant Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
In a letter dated September 19, Mr. Patil had claimed that BLAs in his constituency had identified more than 2,598 bogus voters, and had furnished part numbers and booth numbers for the suspect entries.
The move drew an objection from MLC and KPCC chairman B.K. Hariprasad, who argued that the MLA had no locus standi to write to SIR officials seeking mass deletion of voters. He accused Mr. Patil of singling out Muslim voters for political advantage in the coming elections.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi on Friday, Mr. Patil rejected the charge that he had sought bulk deletion. "I have not asked for deletion of names of any elector. I am only asking SIR officers to conduct an inquiry, look into allegations of inclusion of bogus voters, scrutinise the Forms 6 and 7 submitted by suspect voters and delete their names if found false," he said.
He asserted that he holds standing both as an MLA and as Booth Level Agent number 1 for his constituency, giving him the right to act, along with a responsibility to ensure clean elections and to back BLA 2 and other associates who had gone door to door tracing bogus voters.
According to Mr. Patil, Deepak Patil, the BLA 2, and his team had identified certain false voters and filed objections in Form 7 before the respective BLOs, but the officers had not acted on them. He said his letter was meant to remind them of their duties, and that he had attached proof of all objections filed by BLAs in his constituency.
Dismissing Mr. Hariprasad's allegations, the MLA said he was well versed in the rules and was only exercising his right as a four-term legislator. He indicated that he would appeal to the ECI if local SIR officers did not consider his objections.