Electoral roll manipulation in BBMP: ECI orders suspension of 2 IAS officers

Election Commission of India on Friday ordered the immediate suspension of BBMP special Commissioner S Rangappa and Bengaluru Urban District Deputy Commissioner K Srinivas and directed for 100 per cent verification of electoral rolls in Shivajinagar, Chickpet and Mahadevapura Assembly constituencies after a row over a private trust involved in alleged electoral roll manipulation.

The ECI also ordered departmental enquiry against Rangappa, who is also serving as Additional District Election Officer BBMP, (Central) in charge of Shivajinagar and Chickpet assembly constituencies and K Srinivas, who is also serving as Additional District Election Officer in charge of Mahadevapura assembly, said a statement from the ECI. .

The ECI took this decision upon receiving complaints over alleged involvement of Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Trust in collecting personal information about voters, with its members posing as government officials in some cases in BBMP area.

The ECI ordered 100 per cent check of the deletions and additions (special summary revision-SSR) effected in the electoral rolls after January 1, 2022 in the three Assembly constituencies: Shivajinagar, Chickpet and Mahadevapura. The period of claims and objections under SSR is extended from 9.12.22 up to 24th December, 2022 to enable the public to file objections if any in the three constituencies.

The electoral rolls revised after 1/1/2022 in the three constituencies will be shared with recognised political parties to enable them to file objections.

While continuing the criminal investigation, which was already started by Bengaluru City Police, the ECI said ,” All concerned officials shall ensure that no direct or indirect use of documents or data illegally collected takes place.”

The three IAS officers drawn from outside the BBMP have been deputed as special observers for Priyanka Mary Francis ( Shivajinagar), R Vishal ( Chickpet) and Ajay Nagbhushan ( Mahadevapura) for overseeing and ensuring purity of electoral rolls.

The four senior IAS officers have been appointed as roll observers of BBMP area such as Ujjwal Ghosh (BBMP Central),Ramachandran R. (BBMP North),P.Rajendra Cholan (BBMP South), N. Manjula (Bengaluru Urban) and these officers to oversee the SSR works.

Regional Commissioner Bengaluru Amlan Biswas should coordinate and supervise review of the SSR work in the BBMP area. He is further empowered to depute any officer for assisting him in the said task with the approval of Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, the ECI said.

The ECI asked Biswas to expedite the administrative enquiry assigned to him regarding the complaint of misuse of voter registration awareness activities and alleged data capture by the private entity in BBMP area.

The Commission also directed the CEO Karnataka to involve the recognised political party at each step of the SSR activities and provide them with the assembly constituencies wise lists of all details that have been placed since the last final publication of the electoral roll. The CEO Karnataka has to personally supervise and coordinate the above measures being put in place, the ECI said.

The Election Commission considers it of paramount importance that all roll revision related booth level activities are to be only done by Booth Level Officers who are drawn in accordance with Commission’s instructions from time to time. The Commission has a zero-tolerance policy on deviation from this vital provision related to electoral roll revision process.