Votegate: Congress goes to EC, says Bommai is 'kingpin'

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Credit: PTI Photo

The Congress lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission on Saturday demanding criminal action against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai whom the party dubbed as the “kingpin” of the voter data theft scandal.

A Congress delegation led by Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar gave Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Meena a 10-page petition naming Bommai, IT/BT Minister CN Ashwath Narayan and Horticulture Minister Munirathna for “criminal conspiracy”.

Congress asked the CEO to also ensure “immediate seizure” of citizen data and other materials in possession of private persons.

“We asked the CEO to initiate the process for a judicial inquiry. He told us that he would speak to the central election commission about it,” Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah told reporters.

Also read | Bommai dismisses Cong's demand for sitting judge to head probe into voter data scam

At a news conference later, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said prima facie Bommai was the “kingpin” and accused the BJP government of “corrupting the entire electoral process”.

Surjewala, who oversees his party’s affairs in Karnataka, posed 11 questions to the government on the voter data theft scandal involving Malleswaram-based nonprofit Chilume Trust.

“Why has no FIR been lodged against Krishnappa Ravikumar, Byrappa Shruthi and Narsimhamurthy Aishwarya, who are the owners/directors of the above three entities?” Surjewala said. “Where is the stolen personal data of nearly a crore of voters of the 28 assembly constituencies of Bangalore? Where has the data gone?”

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar claimed that a currency counting machine was found in the Chilume offices. “Why does a nonprofit have this machine?” he asked.

Read | BBMP's orders let NGO collect voter details

Link with minister?

Speaking in Kolar, former JD(S) chief minister HD Kumaraswamy claimed that police raids on Chilume offices found a blank cheque and letterheads belonging to a minister. He did not say who. “There was money and ID cards also. Why were those things there? What investigation will the government do with such a minister? First, sack that minister,” he said.

He also claimed that 40,000 voters have been removed in booths where JD(S) and Congress are strong.

The JD(S), too, will file a complaint with the Election Commission, Kumaraswamy said. “We need strong action against evil forces that are trying to subvert democracy.”