Fake voter ID row has BJP, Cong in blame game

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party on Wednesday blamed each other over the fake voter ID matter.

Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar earlier confirmed that nearly 9,746 counterfeit voter ID cards, five laptops and one printer were found in a flat located in the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency of Bengaluru, one of the 223 constituencies where voting will be held.

The BJP said that the scam was the brainchild of the Congress party, which, in return, claimed that the flat owner was a BJP leader, a charge BJP denies.

Talking to ANI, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged the Congress' hand behind the fake voter IDs and demanded an investigation into it.

"The Congress party is totally exposed in this fake voter ID scam. Congress corporator from Yeshwanthpur G.K.Venkatesh and Mr. Natraja, who is a close aide of Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency MLA Munirathna Naidu, have been arrested in this connection. With Congressmen arrested the truth is out in open that scam of humongous nature was Congress' brainchild," Patra said.

He demanded that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress President Rahul Gandhi should come out and explain why they were trying to hold democracy to ransom.

When asked about the claim of flat owner Manjula Nanjamuri being a BJP worker, Patra flatly denied it and said she had no connection with the party.

"In 1995, she was a BJP corporator. For past 15 years, she has no link with BJP," Patra said.

He said that the BJP demanded an investigation and immediate countermanding of the election in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency.

The Congress, on the other hand, said that the BJP was behind the fake voter IDs.

"Owner of the flat is Manjula Nanjamari. She was a BJP corporator from 1997-2002 and continues to be a prominent leader of BJP. In last 24 hours, she has been disowned by Karnataka BJP in-charge Prakash Javadekar," Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters at a press conference.

Meanwhile, a BJP delegation comprising of Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan is scheduled to meet the Election Commission on Wednesday evening over the issue of fake voter identity cards.