Vijayapura City Assembly seat witnessed fresh allegations of electoral malpractice on Sunday after Congress leaders accused former BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal of deploying staff from the Siddasiri Cooperative Bank to influence the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura, Congress leader M.C. Mulla alleged that four to five employees of the Siddasiri Cooperative Bank, which is managed by Yatnal, have been canvassing across all 35 wards of the Vijayapura City Assembly segment. Their stated objective, according to Mulla, is to identify Muslim voters who may not support Yatnal and compile lists for deletion from the electoral rolls. “These individuals are approaching residents, collecting information, and passing it on to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and other Election Commission staff,” Mulla said. “Under pressure from the MLA, these officials are then deleting the names of eligible voters from the rolls.”
Mulla demanded immediate intervention by the district administration, urging authorities to initiate action against Yatnal and his staff for what he described as a blatant violation of constitutional principles. “This act undermines the spirit of the Constitution and must be stopped at once. All deletions should be reversed,” he asserted.
The Congress leader also claimed that his team recently caught a staff member of the Siddasiri Bank collecting voter data in Ward No. 24. “When confronted, the person admitted to working for the bank and not as a government employee. Local residents were angered and nearly assaulted him before others intervened,” Mulla said. He stated that this incident has been reported to the district administration.
Further, Mulla alleged that some BLOs have confirmed being pressured by bank staff to remove specific names from the electoral rolls. He appealed to the public to remain vigilant and verify identities before sharing personal or family details with anyone. “If someone approaches you claiming to collect voter data, always ask for official identification. If you suspect foul play, immediately contact the police and hand over the person,” he advised.
The controversy comes amid a separate remark by Yatnal, who recently urged Hindu students to wear saffron shawls to school in response to the Congress government’s permission for Muslim girls to wear hijabs. Responding to this, Mulla challenged Yatnal to implement the same practice in his own educational institutions first. “Before lecturing others, he should start this campaign in his own schools. Then we’ll see how many parents actually agree,” he said. Congress leaders Fayaz Kaladagi and Mahadev Ravaji were present during the press interaction.
The allegations raise serious concerns about the integrity of the ongoing SIR process in Vijayapura, a critical exercise aimed at updating and verifying voter rolls before upcoming elections.
