‘I was an MP candidate here’: Prakash Raj claims name missing from Bengaluru voter list

Bengaluru: Actor Prakash Raj has claimed that his name was missing from the Bengaluru voter list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In a video on X, the former Bengaluru Central MP candidate questioned the deletion, emphasising that despite being born, educated, and raised in the constituency, his name was quietly removed alongside lakhs of other citizens.

“I am one of the 65 lakh voters whose vote right has been deleted from the Bangalore constituency after SIR. Nice joke, no? I was born in this constituency, I lived in this constituency, had my schooling, college, theatre... and for your kind information, I was an MP candidate of this constituency too,” he said in the video.

Meanwhile, Prakash Raj on Monday condemned the use of tear gas and lathi charge against JPSC-JSSC aspirants protesting near the Jharkhand Assembly in Ranchi. Prakash Raj shared on X a video allegedly taken from the protest site, showing tear gas and lathi charge being used to disperse students. He wrote, "Why .. Why .. Why. This brutality will not work anymore.. it will only bring the arrogant power down #justasking (sic)."

A large number of students gathered near the Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha as part of a march organised by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch. The protesters formed a human chain and marched towards the Assembly, seeking action on their demands.

The protests intensified after Monday's "Vidhan Sabha gherao" march, during which police used water cannons and lathis to control the crowd as the protesters moved towards the Assembly. Reports said protesters breached multiple barricades and reached close to the Assembly complex.

The protesting aspirants have been demanding the cancellation of the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities. They are also seeking reforms in the recruitment process.

The students have alleged that their demands have not been fully accepted by the Jharkhand government. The agitation has brought renewed attention to concerns raised by candidates over the conduct of competitive examinations and the recruitment process in the state.

The protesters' demands centre on transparency in examinations, action over alleged irregularities and changes in the recruitment system. The students have also sought an independent investigation into the issues surrounding the JSSC-CGL examination.