Karnataka vendor, 7 others declared ‘dead’ for SIR deletion, expelled BJP leader booked

Abdul Razak Bagwan, a vegetable vendor in Karnataka’s Vijayapura, was shocked to discover he had been declared dead and that a death certificate was allegedly used to remove his name from the electoral roll. He told police he knew of at least seven other people similarly shown as dead based on documents submitted by expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and lawmaker Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for voter removal during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The Karnataka Police booked expelled Yatnal and two others based on Bagwan’s complaint that they allegedly claimed the eight voters were dead. It is the ninth case registered in the state over alleged attempts to delete genuine voters during the SIR process.

The ninth case followed an inquiry into the documents submitted for the voter removal. “Eight people, including Bagwan, came forward to say they are alive after their names were linked to death certificates. Three women publicly displayed their identity documents and copies of the certificates on Wednesday, demanding criminal action against those responsible,” said a police officer.

Yatnal submitted a list of 1,054 voters during the SIR, attaching documents to back his objections to their continuation in the electoral roll, and showing at least eight people as dead. An earlier verification found that a competent authority issued the death certificates, but they did not correspond to the living voters in other identifying particulars.

Raziya Sheikh, who has lived in Vijayapura for nearly 30 years, said a death certificate was also submitted in her name. “I am worried that I may lose my ration card and other government benefits,” Sheikh said.

Yatnal allegedly submitted his objections to the authorities on August 31, a week after publication of the draft roll. The matter was subsequently taken up for verification.

Yatnal, a former minister, was expelled from the BJP for six years in March 2025 over indiscipline. He has remained a prominent critic of the party leadership. Yatnal did not respond to repeated calls for comments.

The Vijayapura case is the latest in a series of cases involving bulk Form 7 applications and other alleged attempts to have genuine names deleted from the electoral roll.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) this month directed Karnataka’s election officials to examine false Form 7 applications and take legal action where required. The details of eight other first information reports (FIRs) showed that none were initiated by an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), creating a gap between police investigations and action under the electoral law governing false declarations.

Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, makes knowingly making a false statement or declaration during the preparation, revision or correction of electoral rolls a punishable offence, carrying up to one year in jail, a fine, or both.

People aware of the matter said an ECI or ERO complaint is not a blanket legal requirement for every FIR arising from a Form 7 dispute. Police can investigate other alleged criminal offences independently.

Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge warned that those who provide false information to the ECI through Form 7 could face imprisonment for one year. He accused BJP workers of submitting Form 7 applications claiming that people have died.

The eight FIRs were registered in Bhalki, Belagavi North, Ballari, Mysuru and Bengaluru. They also involve allegations of bulk Form 7 filings, use of voters’ details without their knowledge and forged signatures.

The ECI has been under scrutiny over voter deletions as part of the SIR. The Indian Express last month reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections to decisions taken in the ECI’s name at least 14 times over 10 months.

The reported disagreements involved changes to Form 6 for inclusions in the electoral roll, the centralisation of controls in Delhi, voter deletion appeals in West Bengal, and the failure to add eligible voters in Goa.