Karnataka polls: Political blamegame after 10,000 voter IDs found in Bengaluru flat; EC orders probe

Just three days ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections 2018, nearly 10 thousand voter ID cards were found from a Bengaluru apartment that allegedly belonged to a BJP leader.

While the Elections Commission acted swiftly and ordered an inquiry into the matter, a political blamegame started between the Congress and the BJP.

Union Minister Prakash Javdekar demanded “countermanding of elections” in the constituency and accused the Congress of engineering a “conspiracy to rig election in face of imminent defeat.”

“BJP demands countermanding of elections in AC 154 Raj Rajeshwari Nagar in light of latest revelations of tens of thousands of fake voter ID and empty packets of hard currency. This is Congress conspiracy to rig election, in face of their imminent defeat,” Javdekar tweeted.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala claimed that the flat where the voter IDs were found, belonged to BJP leader named Manjula Nanjamuri and her son Rakesh was living there.

To prove his claims, Surjewala shared a list of BJP candidates of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections 2015, in which Rakesh was a candidate of the party from Jalahalli ward.

"This is the BJP MLA candidate Muniraj Gowda with BJP leader Rakesh, in whose flat the voter IDs were recovered. Election Commission has clearly said that Manjula Nanjamari had rented the flat to her son Rakesh. BJP's lies stand exposed," he added.

The Congress spokesperson demanded the resignation of Javdekar, who is the BJP's incharge of Karnataka elections, and accused the saffron party of running a "factory of lies".

"Union Minister Prakash Javdekar had the audacity to lie by saying Manjula Nanjamari & her son Rakesh don't belong to the BJP. They are running a factory of lies. We have exposed their drama," Surjewala said.