Bengaluru, Jan 15 (PTI) Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy has urged the ECI to conduct SIR of electoral roll in Bengaluru as he raised serious concerns over electoral integrity ahead of the proposed Greater Bengaluru Authority elections.
In a separate representation to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, the BJP leader flagged national security risks linked to rail corridors connecting West Bengal and Bengaluru.
In his letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, which was shared with media on Thursday, Narayanaswamy sought the immediate implementation of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, warning that discrepancies in voter lists could undermine free and fair elections as Bengaluru transitions to a new governance structure.
He alleged the presence of ineligible voters, “ghost voters” and possible non-citizens on electoral rolls across several wards of Greater Bengaluru.
Narayanaswamy said, “Recent observations and reports from across various wards in the Greater Bengaluru area have highlighted alarming discrepancies that, if left unaddressed, will lead to large-scale ‘vote theft’ and the systematic erosion of the will of the genuine residents of Greater Bengaluru Authority.” Calling SIR no longer a choice but a necessity, the BJP leader demanded 100 per cent door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers to identify and delete voters who do not meet the criteria of ordinary residence.
He also sought an immediate clean-up of the ASD (Absent, Shifted and Deceased) list, alleging that tens of thousands of names of deceased persons and those who have moved out of Bengaluru, the state or even the country continue to remain on voter rolls.
Narayanaswamy further claimed there was credible evidence that non-citizens had obtained voter ID and Aadhaar cards through fraudulent means and urged the ECI to cross-verify voter data with citizenship databases under the Representation of the People Acts.
He also pressed for transparency through ward-wise disclosure of deletions and sought accountability of electoral officials for any deliberate inclusion of illegal immigrants.
In a separate representation to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Narayanaswamy flagged what he described as national security concerns arising from 15 to 17 daily and weekly train services operated between West Bengal and Bengaluru.
In his letter to Vaishnaw he alleged that these routes were being misused for the unchecked movement of illegal immigrants using forged identity documents.
He proposed strict identity audits at major stations, a review of service frequency, deployment of undercover Railway Protection Force and Intelligence Bureau personnel, and integration of railway systems with SIR and other national databases.
Stressing urgency, he said the issue must be treated as a high-priority national security concern to safeguard cities and borders. PTI GMS ADB
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