Karnataka CM rejects claims of removing minority votes from electoral roll

Dharwad: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai refuted claims that the names of voters from minority communities are being removed from the electoral roll. He asserted that only the Election Commission can add or delete names from the voters' list.

"These are all lies. Already, the Election Commission has taken note of it. The deletion and addition are done by the Election Commission only," said Bommai. He added that there are officers specifically appointed for this.

The Congress party had claimed that a private trust was roped in for an illegal survey of voters by posing as government officials.

The CM said the Karnataka government wishes to say only one thing that the Election Commission should immediately investigate through its officials at those places from where such complaints are heard.

"Illegality can happen by way of including a single voter at two places or the non-existence of voters at the location mentioned in the electoral roll. The point here is that the voters should have voting rights. Ensuring the voting rights of voters, and removing illegal voters is the job of the ECI," said Bommai.

When asked about the assault on a youth for waving the Kannada flag in Belagavi, he said he has directed the Belagavi police commissioner to investigate the matter and present the facts related to the case. Belagavi is in a border row with Maharashtra and the neighbouring state has been demanding that it should be merged with it in view of a substantial Marathi-speaking population.