Bengaluru: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and BJP MLA Suresh Kumar met the Karnataka chief electoral officer Sanjeev Kumar in Bengaluru on Thursday. The meeting was set up in the backdrop of a few election officers who act in such a way so as to give unfair advantage to the Congress.

 

The two leaders submitted a memorandum to the officer, requesting him to transfer officers who are biased and prejudiced, thereby endangering the structure of the election process.

The officers in question include Manjunath Prasad, BBMP commissioner, Vijay Shankar, deputy commissioner, Bangalore Urban, Kari Gowda, deputy commissioner, Bangalore Urban, Alam Pash, deputy commissioner of Hassan and a few others.

The leaders alleged that these officers had been posted to their present positions only three to four months ago, specifically to aid the ruling Congress-JD(S) government and provide a conducive atmosphere to win the elections. The leaders also urged to relieve a few police officers as well who are at the beck and call of the HD Kumaraswamy government.

Turning to the use of enticements like liquor, the leaders urged the officer to shift the deputy commissioners of Mandya, Tumakuru, Ramanagara as they are allegedly involved in the strong supply of liquor, which is one of the most prevalent things during elections.

The leaders also cited media reports which hinted at a large scale use of money and official machinery to influence the voters, especially in sensitive areas like Mandya, where reports of widespread distribution of money have come in.

The meeting went on for about an hour. The officer heard the complaints in a patient manner and promised to look into the issues.

The model code of conduct comes into effect the moment the election commission announces the dates of election. The political parties are bound to follow the model code of conduct and are liable to face penal action if found guilty.