31 Lakh bogus voter IDs printed, says R Ashoka

BENGALURU: Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka said the State Government printed 90 lakh State Voter Identity Cards for the GBA polls through the Karnataka State Election Commission, spending Rs 20 crore despite announcement of the SIR exercise. He said the final voter list after the SIR has close to 59 lakh voters, meaning the State Government printed 31 lakh “bogus voter IDs”. Ashoka sought an investigation by the CBI.

Releasing a tender document, Ashoka alleged that the State Election Commission had initiated steps to issue SVICs to Bengaluru voters and had floated a single tender to print 90 lakh cards. “There is a big scam. To whom were these bogus cards meant for? Why are the cards still not distributed even though they were printed long ago?,” he added.

The BJP leader alleged that officials neither visited households nor collected fresh details and photographs, instead, they took them from the Lok Sabha electoral list. “The ECI announced SIR in state on May 14, 2026, while the State Election Commission floated the tender the next day and issued the work order on May 29 this year,” Ashoka claimed.

He alleged that for the last three-and-a-half-years, the Congress government has been indulging in a series of scams, including irregularities in Valmiki corporation, Excise Department, and management of solid waste in Bengaluru, among others.

“Now, the latest one is through the State Election Commission. Through them, the State Government decided to print 90 lakh voter IDs. The State Election Commission, in its affidavit, told the Supreme Court that local body elections would be held after the SIR process and publication of the revised electoral rolls,’’ Ashoka said, alleging that the State Government was trying to conduct GBA polls illegally.