The Marwadi trader community of Bengaluru was in for a rude shock when many of them found their names deleted from the electoral roll, which several of them felt was a "conspiracy."
They were those who had exercised their franchise in the 2018 assembly election in Karnataka, according to several from the community who were upset about not having been able to vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka Thursday.
"I am living in Nagarathpet for the past 20 years and cast my vote in the 2018 assembly election but today when I went tovote, I found my name missing," Jogaram told PTI.
He noticed that in his area at least 400 to 500 people fromhis community complained of the same thing.
Another trader, Mahendra Jain said his name too was missing from the electoral roll.
"My voter ID itself is 15-year-old which I got the day I shifted to this place but today it does not exist," said Jain.
Most of the people from my community foundtheir names deleted from the electoral roll, he added.
"Is it possible that an entire locality has vanished in the thin air? A major conspiracy has happened with the trader community. It is rigging..
All the Jains and Marwadis wereidentified and their names deleted from the electoral roll,"Jain alleged.
Another trader, Bharamal Jain said he along with his family went to cast their vote and found their names missing.
"It has not happened just to me or my family but the entireMarwadi community.
So far as I know at least 15,000 to 16,000names were deleted illegally. This is not a fair election," avisibly upset Bharamal Jain said.
Election authorities could not be reached for comments.
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