Bengaluru, May 9: Ahead of polls in the Karnataka, a massive storm erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress on Tuesday over allegations of fake voter IDs in a  flat in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar segment of the Bengaluru's southwest suburb. The two rival parties got into a war of words in poll-bound Karnataka as both alleged that the other has tried to rig the elections, which is due next week.

Days before polls in the state, the Election Commission (EC) seized thousands of voter identity cards from a flat in Jalahalli, west Bengaluru which falls under Rajarajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar) assembly constituency. According to reports, about 10,000 voter IDs and one lakh counterfoils were found in a flat owned by a BJP leader Manjula Nanjamuri. This triggered a blame game between BJP and Congress on Tuesday.

According to Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala, the flat where the voter IDs were found belonged to a BJP leader - Manjula Nanjamuri. Meanwhile, flying squad official Byre Gowda said, “Whatever we have counted so far are valid IDs and are about 10 to 15 years old. We’ll check whether there are fake ones too.”

According to a report by TOI, the incident was brought to light by Jagadish Ramachandra, son of GH Ramachandra who’s contesting on a JD(S) ticket from RR Nagar. Reports said that he visited the apartment during campaigning for the upcoming polls in the state. “Flat no. 115 at SLV Park View in Jalahalli looked like a mini-BBMP office. Apart from two aluminium boxes filled with ID cards, there were two printers and six laptops,” Jagadish was quoted by TOI. He alleged there could be 50,000 fake voter ID cards and the list included the ID card of BBMP joint commissioner Tippeswamy.

Election Commission makes surprise visit:

The Election Commission on Tuesday made a surprise visit to the flat and found nearly 9,746 voter ID. State's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar informed media that they also found five laptops and one printer along with over lakh slips resembling acknowledgement slips used for adding names into the electoral rolls.  Reports inform that earlier, the voter cards were found to be genuine, while the counterfoils were to be verified through investigation, Kumar said.

Kumar said that further investigation will be conducted into the matter and will be closely monitored by the EC. It must be noted that the election commission has filed an FIR in the matter.

Congress takes a jibe at BJP

The Congress has alleged that Nanjamuri, from whose residence, alleged fake voter IDs have been recovered, is a former BJP leader. Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday said Election Commission has clearly said that Manjula Nanjamari had rented the flat to her son Rakesh. He said BJP's lies stand exposed and that BJP enacted a drama in an apartment belonging to their own leader Manjula Nanjamari.

“She has rented the apartment to her son who contested the 2015 BBMP (Bengaluru civic body) elections on a BJP ticket. The apartment was raided not by police or EC but by BJP workers," Surjewala alleged at a press conference.

Surjewala said this is a BJP conspiracy and the Congress has exposed it. He said a high-level enquiry should be ordered by EC against all those indulging in this conspiracy to get the election countermanded by planting fake evidence. Lodge an FIR against all these top BJP leaders.

"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", he added.  Surjewala on Wednesday stated that there are news reports that point out prominent losers of the corporation polls & it mentions BJP's Manjula Nanjamuri, the sitting corporator of HMT ward, who contested from Jalahalli where flat no. 115 is situated.

BJP hits back at Congress, says Manjula Nanjamuri left party six years ago

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday denied any recent connection with Nanjamuri and said she has nothing to do with BJP. The BJP urged the poll panel to countermand the May 12 Assembly poll in the constituency, terming it a conspiracy by the ruling Congress to rig the election.

Soon after Congress levelled allegations over allegedly fake voter ID cards have been found in RR Nagar, Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister on Tuesday informed that she left BJP six years ago. "Manjula is a Congress person now. They just want to blame BJP without any substance. We have proof of various things, which we will present before the EC," Javadekar said.

The Minister said the Congress just wants to blame BJP without any substance. “We have proof of various things, which we will present before the EC”, Javadekar said. "The BJP demands countermanding of elections in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in light of latest revelations of tens of thousands of fake voter IDs and empty packets of hard currency. This is Congress conspiracy to rig election in the face of their imminent defeat," Javadekar tweeted.

"In Badami, where CM Siddaramaiah is contesting, a huge amount of cash was recovered from that place. This is also a shocking incident. So, EC should put up special election officer in Badami and they should deploy more paramilitary forces," the Minister added.

Manjula Nanjamari's son speaks out:

Coming to her rescue, Manjula Nanjamari's son Sridhar Nanjamari said that the flat was rented to Rangaraju, who pays rent for it every month.  "I am the only son of Manjula Nanjamari. Rakesh is my mother's nephew's son & he has got no connections with the flat in Park View apartment, as is what claimed in media",  Sridhar added on 9,746 voter ID cards found from a flat in Bengaluru's Jalahalli.

Polling for the 224-member assembly will be held on May 12, and results will be declared on 15th. The state is all geared up for the upcoming polls which is due next week. Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar on Tuesday dwelled upon the preparedness and said that a total of 58,000 booths have been set up out of which 600 will be fully run by women and ten plus booths will be run by the disabled people.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2018 10:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).