Voter cards

The owner was identified as Manjula Nanjamuri, who said that she won a civic election in 1997 with BJP support, and the tenant Rakesh, who identified himself as a BJP supporter in comments made to reporters on Wednesday.

Both the Congress and the BJP claimed Nanjamuri and Rakesh belonged to the other party. “Congress is losing public support and they are trying hard to rig the upcoming elections in Karnataka by undemocratic ways. So, we demand countermanding of polls in Raj Rajeshwari Nagar constituency,” said Union minister Prakash Javadekar shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

By Wednesday morning, BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made similar attacks at their arch-rival, which is in power in Karnataka.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala refuted the allegation and said the opposition party staged the episode to divert attention. “Apartment No 115 from where the ID cards were recovered belonged to a BJP corporator, Nanjamuri. The BJP leadership is lying and trying to disassociate itself from its ex-corporator Manjula,” he said.

Police officials did not confirm if Rakesh was the tenant. Nanjamuri told news agency ANI that she rented the flat out to two other individuals whom she identified as Rangaraju and Rekha. Her son, however, said Rakesh was a relative.

Congress leader Anand Sharma, who met election commission officials in New Delhi on Wednesday, said the discovery of the voter cards was staged by BJP since the flat had not been raided by the poll watchdog.

Members of the BJP, including Union ministers Smriti Irani, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan and SS Ahluwalia also met the election commission on Wednesday.

In Bengaluru, CEO Kumar reiterated that none of the voter cards seized were fake and there had been no breach in the election commission’s systems. without giving an opportunity to the judges to speak. Each lawyer wanted to be heard out of turn.

“No one is spared... you are attacking all... targeting all. With one arrow, you want to kill everyone,” Justice Mishra said.

He was critical of lawyers participating in panel discussion on TV channels. “They discuss court proceedings on TV. We are abused like anything,” the judge said.

“You are killing this institution every day. Lawyers will survive only if this institution survives,” the judge warned.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, who was present in the court on behalf of MCI, said he supported Justice Mishra’s view. “An institution cannot be maligned the way it is happening. It’s not in the interest of the country. Even if someone has to be critical, he or she must weigh the consequences before speaking anything,” Singh, who is also president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said.

An upset Justice Mishra did not entertain a clarification application moved in the medical admission matter. The court has already stayed the Kerala government’s ordinance. government,” he said.

At his second rally in Chikmaglur, Modi accused the Congress of thinking only about power and blamed late former prime minister Indira Gandhi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi for doing little for Karnataka, despite winning parliamentary elections from the state.

“Congress party, after facing defeats in every election, are busy criticizing the EVMS (electronic voting machines) and the Election Commission. For them EVM and EC are wrong and only Congress is right,” Modi said.

At another rally in Belagavi, the PM said he failed to understand why he was the Congress’ only agenda. “The Chief Minister was campaigning for a Congress candidate whose name is also Narendra...but he only kept saying Narendra Modi and praised Narendra Modi too...the truth seems to have come out,” he said at the rally.

On the seizure of thousands of alleged fake voter ID cards and 100,000 Form-6 applications (voter registration forms) for the inclusion and transfer of voters from an apartment in Benga- luru, Modi said, “Looking at defeat in front of them, as their tricks did not work, they have started a new game.”

“I want to tell the people to be alert till May 12 (the day of voting)...the Congress shamelessly is using undemocratic means,” he added.

The Congress hit back at Modi asking him if he thought he was the only one who had the right to be Prime Minister. “Is Narendra Modi the only one with the right to be the Prime Minister?” Congress spokesman Anand Sharma asked.