Cong committed many such sins: PM Modi

Referring to the voter ID cards found in a flat in RR Nagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed fears that Congress may have created lakhs of fake voter ID cards to win this assembly election. “Beside these fake ID cards, a voter list containing lakhs of names was also found along with printers and computers. These belonged to those constituencies where voters strength is in lakhs. The impact of one lakh vote in a four lakh voter constituency is huge and the Congress was trying to do this. People must never forgive such a Congress government which is indulging in this kind of dangerous game of politics,” he said. Modi claimed two big steel boxes containing voter slips were also seized and said it is anybody’s guess how many such “paap” (sins) were committed by Congress. Union minister Prakash Javdekar demanded that the election commission “countermand” the RR Nagar polls. “The EC must ensure the owner of the building, Manjula Nanjamari, is arrested immediately and a detailed probe be undertaken,” he added. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed Manjula was a former BJP member and had nothing to do with the party now.

Probe Javadekar, Kumar role: Congress

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala urged the EC to probe the role of Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and HN Ananth Kumar in the voter ID cards case. Describing the incident as a part of a concerted conspiracy by BJP to divert the attention of people, Surjewala urged the EC to file an FIR against BJP candidate from RR Nagar segment and also others involved in the fraud. Surjewala also said the EC should take note of Modi’s statement with regard to the voter ID cards. “It need to be examined as to how Modi has the knowledge of the entire issue and what is the role of BJP top leadership in the fraud,” he said.

JD(S) strongholds targeted: HD Kumaraswamy

JD(S) has lodged a request with the Election Commission to countermand RR Nagar election. Party spokesperson and MLC Ramesh Babu has claimed in the complaint that the incumbent MLA from the segment has 30,000 original and duplicate voter ID cards in his possession. Earlier, campaigning in Badami, party state president HD Kumaraswamy said that RR Nagar was not the only constituency seeing such large-scale fake voter ID cards and manipulations. “Wherever JD(S) is strong, such segments are witnessing manipulation. In Chamundeshwari, villages strongly in favour of JD(S) are being removed from the voters list in connivance with the returning officer. As many as 10,000 voters’ names from these villages have been deleted,” he said.

