Bengaluru: Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, who shared a letter on social media said to have been written by Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje to BJP office-bearers and candidates asking for details of sensitive polling stations, has expressed strong objection. Also, he requested the Election Commission to take action in this regard.
Shobha Karandlaje is said to have written a letter on her letter head to BJP District Presidents, General Secretaries, candidates and election agents to submit details of sensitive and ultra-sensitive polling stations. The letter, which did not mention the date and location, asked for information on “which polling stations should be declared sensitive and highly sensitive, in which parts central forces or paramilitary units should be deployed, which polling stations require web casting and video recording services.”
She has requested to send the information to bjponline@gmail.com, bjplegalcell.2023@gmail.com and warned that it will be difficult to be included in the list if it is delayed.
Objecting to the collection of information, Siddaramaiah said, ‘Is it the Election Commission that is conducting the elections in the state or Bharatiya Janata Party? Are the BJP officials going to decide on sensitive and hypersensitive polling booths? What about polling booths with pro and anti-BJP voters? He alleged that the malicious intent of this letter is to threaten the voters by deputing the Central Armed forces in the polling booths where there are voters who are not in favour of their party and prevent them from voting.
Isn’t the Election Commission responsible for webcasting and video recording in polling booths? Who gave permission to the political party to run this? If you see that the Union Minister Shobha herself has written this letter, it is clear that the Central Government is involved in this illegal activity, he said.
The Central Election Commissioner should immediately intervene and interrogate Minister Shobha and ban her from participating in any election campaign. He demanded that the information obtained from the party leaders and candidates should be seized.