BENGALURU: Actor Prakash Raj on Thursday hit back at the Election Commission of Karnataka over the controversy surrounding his name in the Bengaluru electoral roll, alleging that officials first told him his voter ID had been “permanently shifted” and later changed the wording on the website after he raised the issue publicly.In a video posted on X, Raj questioned the Election Commission’s handling of his case and alleged that officials contacted him after his earlier post on the issue gained widespread attention.He claimed that officials told him there had been a mistake and assured him that it would be corrected.Raj said he had call records to support his account and alleged that the Election Commission later changed the description on its website from “permanently shifted” to “shifted”.Addressing the Karnataka Election Commission directly, Raj said: “Isn’t it true that you had put it on your website that my voter ID is permanently shifted, that means deleted, that I have to fill Form 6 and apply for a new voter ID?”He further alleged that officials contacted him after his earlier video and said the entry would be corrected.“And once I raised the issues, and it reached millions within hours, isn’t it true that you officials called me and said, there has been a mistake, we will correct it,” he said.Raj also claimed that officials had asked him to mention on social media that the issue was being corrected.“I have all the call records,” he said.Raj alleged that the Election Commission subsequently held a press meet and changed the terminology used on its website.“And by evening, you call a press meet, you change from permanently shifted to shifted on your website and tell the press that you know, it’s actually shifted, we did a major and deletion is a lie. You’re telling a lie,” he said.“You have told a lie,” Raj added.The actor also alleged that a Booth Level Officer was sent to his old address later in the evening to conduct verification.Questioning the manner in which the verification was conducted, Raj alleged that officials arrived at his former address with a camera and interacted with neighbours.“And by 8:30, you will send your BLO to the old address in front of the door with a camera, call the neighbors and create that Natak and drama,” he said.He alleged that the footage was subsequently shared with media outlets and BJP social media handles to portray his earlier claim as incorrect.Raj also stressed that his celebrity status should not determine how his complaint is treated.“Hello, I am a celebrity. Will you call a common man like this?” he said.“I am a celebrity because of my work. But as a citizen, I’m equal to every citizen. This fight is about the dignity of a citizen,” Raj added.Raj said the controversy was ultimately about citizens’ right to vote and questioned why voters should have to repeatedly prove their eligibility.“Standing in queues asking us to stand in queues, more videos, more clarifications and a big press meet to come. Game on,” he said.He then took aim at political leaders, saying citizens are approached for their votes during elections but are now being made to “stand in queue and beg” for their voting rights to be restored.“And you, my friend, once in five years, you come to beg for votes because you know, citizens have the right to vote,” Raj said.“And now you want the same citizens to stand in queue and beg for the vote to be reinstated. Just asking,” he added.
Prakash Raj’s voter list claim
Raj’s latest video comes after he claimed that his name had been deleted from the Bengaluru electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).Calling it a “nice joke”, Raj had said he was among the 65 lakh voters whose names were allegedly removed. He had pointed out that he was born and raised in the constituency, studied and did theatre there, and had also contested a Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru.However, BJP Karnataka subsequently rejected his claim, citing a clarification from the Bengaluru Central City Corporation.The BJP said Raj’s name was present on the electoral roll when the data was frozen for the SIR exercise and that a subsequent BLO verification found that he had shifted from his registered address.The BJP also claimed that Raj had told officials that he no longer lived at the registered address and had shifted to another location within the Shanthinagar constituency.It said he could update his electoral details at his current residence by submitting Form 6.Raj’s latest video is his response to that version of events, with the actor disputing the manner in which his voter status was handled and challenging the authorities over the change in the description of his electoral status.
