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Karnataka Elections: Congress MLA Munirathna Naidu named in FIR in voter ID scandal

The row erupted just three days before the keenly fought elections, with the two major contenders for power claiming the flat belonged to a woman associated with the rival party.

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RR Nagar Congress MLA Munirathna Naidu was the second person named in an FIR in the Karnataka voter id scandal, DD News reported on Thursday evening.

Earlier, nearly 10,000 "fake" voter I-cards were recovered from a flat in a constituency in Karnataka, setting off a war of words between the Congress and BJP, which demanded countermanding of the poll for the seat, claiming the Congress was behind the racket, a charge the latter dismissed as a "lie".

The row erupted just three days before the keenly fought elections, with the two major contenders for power claiming the flat belonged to a woman associated with the rival party. 

Nearly 10,000 "fake" voter I-cards were recovered from a flat in a constituency in Karnataka, setting off a war of words between the Congress and BJP, which demanded countermanding of the poll for the seat, claiming the Congress was behind the racket, a charge the latter dismissed as a "lie".

The row erupted just three days before the keenly fought elections, with the two major contenders for power claiming the flat belonged to a woman associated with the rival party.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka Sanjiv Kumar, however, told the media the I-cards recovered from a flat in Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency looked genuine but a Deputy Election Commissioner rank official was rushing from the national capital to Bengaluru for a probe.

"It was earlier suggested that somebody was trying to break into our (computer) system to prepare fake ID cards.... that is not so," he said, adding it was for the Election Commission to take a decision on countermanding the election.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was campaigning in Karnataka, attacked the Congress for adopting such tactics to win the elections.

"Thousands of voter ID cards were seized, 1 lakh voters slips were seized in just one place. They must have planned such games in 40-50 constituencies. You (voters) be alert. Such sin cannot be allowed during the celebration of democracy (polls)," he told elections rallies.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Union minister Prakash Javadekar claimed Congress candidate and the sitting RR Nagar MLA Munirathna Naidu was behind the alleged racket, which was exposed by BJP worker Rakesh.

Congress spokesman Rajdeep Singh Surjawala hit right back, alleging that flat owner Manjula Nanjamari and Rakesh, who was dubbed by Javadekar as the "whistleblower" in the matter, had BJP connections and both had contested the Bengaluru Municipal Corporation elections on saffron party tickets.

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