Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, expressed concerns about the alleged issuance of illegal birth certificates through cyber centers in Karnataka. She highlighted an increase in such activities following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called upon the Election Commission of India (ECI) to intervene. Karandlaje accused the state government of attempting to provide residence certificates to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, suggesting a potential influence on future elections.
Karandlaje further claimed that the state government’s actions aimed to sway upcoming elections through illegitimate means. She specifically pointed out the inclusion of illegal voters in the electoral rolls for the proposed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections. The Minister criticized the alleged systematic effort to add voters from a particular community, insinuating a bias towards minority voters.
Alleging irregularities in the implementation of the SIR exercise, Karandlaje criticized the process conducted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). She emphasized the need for proper training for BLOs and adherence to prescribed procedures to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. Karandlaje also raised concerns about the regularization of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants as residents and voters in Karnataka, accusing minority leaders of facilitating their entry into the state.
Karandlaje defended the SIR exercise as a measure to identify illegal voters, eliminate deceased electors from the rolls, and enhance the accuracy of electoral lists after nearly two decades. She explained that the exercise aimed to rectify discrepancies such as duplicate registrations and outdated entries to improve the overall reliability of the electoral rolls.
