Bengaluru: Actor-activist Prakash Raj, a vocal BJP critic who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Bengaluru Central as an Independent, claimed Tuesday his name has been “deleted” from the city’s voter list in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral roll by the Election Commission.
According to data shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) Monday, a total of 1,08,97,530, or 19.66 percent of the total voters in the state, have been flagged as ASDDO: absent, shifted, deceased, duplicate or other—in the ongoing SIR exercise.
Over half the voters in Bengaluru, Karnataka’s biggest urban centre, are on this list, and can potentially be removed from the voter list.
They have the option to file claims and objections until September 23, after which they face potential deletion of their names from the voter list. The final electoral roll will be published on October 27.
After his name was flagged as ASDDO, Raj released a 1.35-minute video on X. “I want to share a joke with you. I am one of the 65 lakh voters whose vote right has been deleted from (the) Bengaluru constituency after the SIR (Special Intensive Revision). Nice joke, no,” the 61-year-old said.
Fraand 😂😂 you may chose n deny voting rights of few citizens who may not elect you back to thrown.. but can you stop us from eventually bringing you down from your thrown #justasking pic.twitter.com/S8BpM3CNy0
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) August 11, 2026
“I was born in this constituency, I lived in this constituency, I have my schooling, college, theatre …and for your kind information I was an MP candidate of this constituency. Well the joke is nice. Game on,” he said.
Officials said that during the house-to-house verification they found Prakash Raj had “permanently shifted” from his registered address, and has hence been marked as “Shifted”.
Raj had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an independent from the Bengaluru Central constituency. He secured 28,906 votes, or 2.41 percent of the total votes polled in the constituency.
“Let me see what is the process I have to go through. Kya Kya Kaaghaz dikhana padega (What documents do I have to show) to get back my voter ID? Well, game on,” he added.
Raj, who has acted in over 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi among other languages, intensified his attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the BJP since the cold-blooded murder of his friend, journalist Gauri Lankesh, on 5 September 2017.
In an earlier interaction with ThePrint, he said that he was virtually banished from Bollywood following his no-holds-barred attacks on PM Modi. The actor has become a prominent figure in many protests across the country, including the Dharmasthala controversy in which a witness named him as the main conspirator.
“But one little word. My friend, you can use your powers to deny (a) few of the citizens the right to vote who may not elect you, but can you stop us (from bringing you down)” he asked in his X post, in an apparent attack on the prime minister.
Raj joined several anti-government protests across the country, including the recent Cockroach Janata Party-led demonstrations over the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam paper leak. The actor-activist has not speculated on why his name has been supposedly deleted from the voter list.
Also Read: 4 legal questions that shaped SIR verdict and how Supreme Court answered them
What officials say
In a late evening statement, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said the actor’s claims are “not true”.
Jagadish G, Additional District Election Officer (Central) & Commissioner of the Bengaluru Central City Corporation, said that the actor’s name was registered in the Shanthinagar Assembly constituency of Central Bengaluru, as of 16 June when the SIR process commenced.
“During the house-to-house verification conducted by the Booth Level Officer (BLO) of the concerned part, it was found that Mr. Prakash Raj had permanently shifted from the registered address at No. 266, Garden Apartment,” according to the statement.
The official further added that the BLO conducted an official inquiry with neighbours, the property manager and even confirmed over a phone call with the flat’s owner that the actor had not resided in the property for the last four-and-a-half years.
“Based on their statements, a mahazar (spot inspection report) was drawn, and the voter status was officially marked as “Shifted”. This action was executed strictly adhering to the due process of law and the statutory guidelines laid down by the Election Commission of India,” according to the statement.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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