Ex-mayor seeks probe into voter list irregularities in NR assembly constituency

Mysuru: Former mayor Sandesh Swamy on Friday urged the DC to initiate an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in the Narasimharaja (NR) assembly constituency.

Speaking to reporters, he alleged that officials assigned to revise the voters list were facing intimidation and obstruction from certain individuals.Swamy claimed that unauthorised persons were allegedly collecting application forms from officials and getting them filled by others before returning them, thereby compromising the integrity of the verification exercise. He further alleged that some officials were prevented from carrying out their duties freely, creating an atmosphere of fear.

According to him, a few officials expressed their inability to continue fieldwork without adequate security.Questioning the increase in the number of voters in the segment in the last few years, Swamy said nearly one lakh voters were added since 2002, despite the absence of any major residential expansion or large-scale housing development. He said the increase warranted a detailed investigation, and alleged that while the SIR process was being conducted smoothly across most parts of Karnataka, vested interests were attempting to disrupt the exercise in NR constituency.

He also claimed that many residents from economically weaker sections were misled into believing that completing the SIR process was mandatory to continue receiving state govt’s guarantee benefits. Swamy urged election authorities to ensure door-to-door verification by officials to maintain the accuracy and credibility of the electoral rolls.