‘You can’t abuse the dignity of a citizen’: Prakash Raj challenges EC over voter ID row

Bengaluru: Actor Prakash Raj has questioned the Election Commission's explanation after his name and voter details became the subject of a dispute during Karnataka's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. While officials said his entry was marked as ‘shifted’ after verification at his registered address, Prakash Raj alleged that the explanation changed after he raised the issue publicly.

In a video posted on X on Thursday, Prakash Raj questioned the Election Commission's account of what happened to his voter details.

He claimed officials initially told him that a mistake had been made and that his records would be corrected. According to the actor, he was later surprised when officials publicly described the matter as a case of his voter registration being marked as shifted rather than deleted.

“You are telling a lie,” Prakash Raj said, alleging that the Election Commission's public explanation contradicted what its officials had earlier told him.

He also questioned whether an ordinary voter would receive the same level of attention and follow-up.

Prakash Raj said the issue was not about his celebrity status but about a citizen's right to have accurate electoral records.

“I am equal to every citizen,” he said, arguing that the dispute was about the dignity and rights of voters.

What Prakash Raj had alleged

Earlier, Prakash Raj claimed that his name had been deleted from the Bengaluru electoral roll during the ongoing SIR exercise in Karnataka.

He said he was born and raised in the constituency and had studied and worked there. He also questioned the broader exercise and claimed that around 65 lakh voters had been deleted from the Bengaluru constituency.

Prakash Raj had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru Central.

Election officials give a different account

Election officials have rejected the claim that Prakash Raj's name was deleted.

According to the Bengaluru Central City Corporation, his name remained on the electoral roll but his voter status was marked as ‘shifted’ after verification at his registered address.

Officials said a Booth Level Officer visited the address and found that Prakash Raj had not been living there for about four years. Neighbours, the property manager and the flat owner reportedly confirmed that he had moved.

A mahazar, or spot verification report, was subsequently prepared.

Officials also said Prakash Raj confirmed by telephone that he no longer lived at the registered address, although he continued to reside elsewhere within the constituency.

Jagadish G, Additional District Election Officer (Central) and Commissioner of the Bengaluru Central City Corporation, said Prakash Raj could update his voter registration at his current residence by submitting Form 6.

The civic body said the allegations in the video had been verified and were “not true”.

The key point of disagreement

The dispute centres on whether Prakash Raj's electoral entry was deleted or merely marked as shifted.

Prakash Raj argues that the original wording and subsequent communication indicated that his registration had effectively been removed and that officials later changed their explanation.

Election officials maintain that there was no deletion and that the record was updated because verification showed he had permanently moved from the registered address.

The actor's latest video challenges that version and questions why the explanation allegedly changed after he raised the matter publicly.

The controversy comes as Karnataka carries out the SIR exercise to verify and update electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has described the exercise as part of the process of maintaining accurate electoral records. The Prakash Raj dispute, however, has raised questions about how voters are informed when their electoral details are changed and what safeguards exist when a voter disputes an entry.

For now, the two sides have presented conflicting accounts. Prakash Raj says the Election Commission changed its explanation, while officials maintain that his entry was not deleted and that the verification process showed he had moved from his registered address.

The issue is likely to remain under scrutiny as the SIR exercise continues in Karnataka.