Karnataka police book former BJP MLA over alleged voter roll fraud

Karnataka Police have registered a case against expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and two others following allegations that living voters were falsely listed as deceased to remove them from the electoral rolls in Vijayapura.

The controversy arose during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Eight individuals, including vegetable vendor Abdul Razak Bagwan, reported that death certificates had been used to seek their removal from the voter list. While an official report from electoral registration officials stated that the death certificates presented by Yatnal were authentic, authorities clarified that the individuals claiming to be alive were not the same people named in those specific certificates. Consequently, the living voters may remain on the electoral roll.

Yatnal had originally submitted objections against 1,054 voters, alleging that the names of deceased persons were being retained in the draft roll. The situation has led to calls for investigations into the transparency of the SIR process and the accuracy of the documents submitted.