New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Saturday, April 29, that it has taken “serious note” of a BJP candidate in the Karnataka assembly election who was trying to influence a Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] candidate to withdraw by offering money and a government vehicle and filed a first information report (FIR).
The alleged attempts by V. Somanna, the BJP candidate from Chamarajanagar, to influence Mallikarjuna Swamy alias Alur Mallu, the JD(S) candidate, to withdraw were revealed in an audio clip that is circulating on social media.
According to the ECI, Somana offered “money and government vehicle” to the JDS candidate. “An FIR has been filed in the matter under Section 171E [bribery] and 171 F [Punishment for undue influence or personation at an election] of [the Indian Penal Code] in the Town Police Station, Chamarajanagar,” the poll panel said in a press release titled “ECI conveys no tolerance towards any attempt of bribery or intimidation to candidates and voters in the ongoing Karnataka elections 2023: CEOs and DEOs to keep strict vigil on social media for timely action.”
The commission has directed the chief electoral officer of Karnataka to ensure constant monitoring of the ground situation. “For conviction under Section 171E and 171 F of IPC, 1860, the election can be annulled on account of corrupt practices under section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the candidate may be disqualified under section 8 (1) (a) of the R.P. Act, 1951,” the release goes on to say.
The assembly election in the state, which will be held on May 10, has been rife with complaints of attempts to subvert the level playing field. Data leakage and misuse concerns have been ongoing too for some time, which The Wire has reported on earlier. The sitting MLA of Karnataka’s Malleswaram assembly seat, C.N. Ashwath Narayan – also the BJP candidate for the constituency in the upcoming polls – has sent messages on WhatsApp to voters with excerpts from electors’ individual voter identity cards, leading to outrage.
As per a report in Deccan Herald, “A few residents (of the constituency) called it illegal and questioned how the MLA, who is also a cabinet minister (in the current Basavaraj Bommai government), could have access to voters’ mobile numbers.” According to the report, some voters have registered a complaint with the returning officer, accusing the MLA of illegally accessing his mobile number.