The Election Commission of India on May 11 postponed polls to the the R.R. Nagar Assembly constituency from May 12 to 28 following an inquiry into the seizure of 9,564 voter identity cards and other articles in Bengaluru. Counting of votes will be taken up on May 31.
The EC took cognisance of mainly two cases: the impounding of goods worth Rs. 95 lakh, which included more than 5,000 T-shirts bearing the Congress candidate’s name and photograph, on May 6; and the seizure of voter IDs along with 20,700 voter slips, detailed survey papers and other election-related items from a flat in Jalahalli on May 8.
Based on the findings, the EC observed that the current electoral process in the constituency had been vitiated on account of unlawful activities of the candidates and political parties and their workers in planning to allure voters through distribution of freebies and illegal collection of voters IDs and other articles.