BENGALURU: The BJP Karnataka hit back at actor Prakash Raj over his claim that his name was deleted from the Bengaluru electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), saying an official verification found that he had shifted from the address at which he was registered as a voter.In a post on X, BJP Karnataka cited a clarification from the Bengaluru Central City Corporation and said Raj’s claim did not match the findings of the verification carried out during the revision exercise.
BJP says Prakash Raj’s name was on electoral roll during SIR
According to the BJP, Raj’s name was present on the electoral roll when the data was frozen for the SIR exercise.The party said Booth Level Officer (BLO) verification subsequently found that the actor had shifted from his registered address and had reportedly not been residing there for the past four years.The BJP further claimed that Raj himself confirmed to officials that he no longer lived at the registered address and had shifted to another location within the Shanthinagar constituency.
‘Claim falls flat’: BJP says Raj can update voter details
The party said the civic authorities had clarified that Raj could register or update his electoral details at his current residence by submitting Form 6.BJP Karnataka said the allegations made in Raj’s video had been “verified and found not true”, according to the civic body’s clarification cited in its post.“Before accusing the Election Commission of deleting votes, shouldn’t public figures first verify the facts and ensure their own electoral details are updated?” the BJP said.It added, “Facts matter. Electoral rolls cannot be maintained on outdated residential addresses.”
What Prakash Raj had alleged
Raj had earlier claimed in a video posted on X that his name was among those allegedly deleted from Bengaluru’s electoral roll during the SIR exercise.Calling it a “nice joke”, the actor had said he was born, educated and had worked in the constituency and had even contested a Lok Sabha election from there.He had also questioned the process of restoring his name and said he was prepared to find out what documents would be required.Raj’s remarks came amid the wider political debate over the SIR exercise in Karnataka and allegations concerning deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls.
