Karnataka voter I cards recovery: EC defers decision

The Election Commission tonight deferred a decision on the recovery of nearly 10,000 voter I-cards from a flat in Rajrajeshwari Nagar assembly seat of poll-bound Karnataka even as it sought fresh information from the state election machinery.

Highly-placed sources in the Commission said prima facie it seems that most of the voter I-cards recovered were "genuine". But the reason as to why they were found in the flat is still beng ascertained.

The Commission, the sources said, deliberated on the issue and decided to seek more information from the state election adminstration before arriving at a conclusion.

If the EC finds that a fraud was involved, it could even cancel election to the constituency. Even in case, if the EC is able to ascertain that attempt was made to stop people from voting, it can cancel the poll.

"Now we have to ensure that genuine voters can cast their votes using voter slips distributed to electors. Also, the machinery has to ensure that no voter is intimidated," an official had yesterday said.

The recovery of voter cards prompted the BJP to demand countermanding of the election claiming the Congress was behind the racket, a charge dismissed by the latter as a "lie".

Karnataka chief electoral officer Sanjiv Kumar told a press conference that till now, two persons have been arrested. More arrests are likely and the case is already under investigation.

With Karnataka going to poll on Saturday, the BJP and the Congress, the two main contenders for power, went after each other claiming that the flat -- from where the cards were recovered -- belonged to a woman associated with the rival party.