Row over private firm collecting voter data in Bengaluru, Congress seeks Basavaraj Bommai’s resignation

The Congress’ demand followed a media expose that revealed that Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Trust, an NGO entrusted with the task of conducting house-to-house surveys to create awareness on applying online for voter IDs through a voter helpline mobile app, had collected personal information about voters within Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits, with its members allegedly posing as government officials. The BBMP on Wednesday cancelled its permission to the trust, saying it had “violated the conditions of the permission”.

“I appeal to the general public not to share their voter id details to the representatives of the trust. The trust has violated the conditions of the permission. The Election Commission has received complaints from the public that the trust was collecting personal information. Therefore the permission is cancelled,” BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said.

“Who permitted Chilume to act on behalf of BBMP and (state) Election Commission? Why was an advertisement (about the exercise) not ordered to be issued by you (Bommai), BBMP or EC before giving this project to a private entity? Why did none of the three check the antecedents of the company? Why were you not alerted by the absolutely suspicious offer of creating voter awareness free of cost for the entire Bengaluru,” Surjewala asked, demanding a time-bound investigation by the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

A senior BBMP official, seeking anonymity, said that the trust had approached the BBMP to offer voluntary service for the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme and permission was granted on January 29 this year. Later in August, permission was granted to the trust to conduct SVEEP across all 28 constituencies under BBMP.

“One of the persons from the trust impersonated a BLO in Mahadevapura constituency using an ID card. He was collecting voters’ personal information. A complaint in this regard was lodged against the trust at Kadugodi police station,” the official revealed. “The people from the trust who impersonated BLOs were accused of collecting information like Aadhaar number, type of employment, religion, caste, age, mother tongue, marital status, phone number, address, voter id number, email address etc. This data was not shared with the BBMP,” the official added.

The Congress on Friday issued a statement saying, “Pvt Entity Chilume is connected with and owned by common owners/directors of two other entities known as ‘Chilume Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.’ and DAP Hombale Pvt. Ltd. Centerpoint of the ownership is one Krishnappa Ravikumar.”

Ravikumar was closely linked to Higher Education and IT & BT, Science & Technology Minister Dr C N Ashwathnarayan, Surjewala alleged, sharing a picture of the minister participating in the former’s birthday. All the companies permitted to collect voter information were located in Malleshwaram, a constituency represented by Ashwathnarayan, Surjewala said. As Bommai was in charge of Bengaluru Urban district, he was directly responsible for the illegalities committed there, Surjewala said. “What is the relationship between Bommai, Ashwathnarayan and these entities,” Surjewala asked, alleging the exercise was a concerted effort to “steal the elections”.

“Chilume Enterprises Pvt Ltd claims to be an ‘Election Management Company’ including working for EVM preparation etc. for political parties. Shockingly, it also offers temporary polling personnel from virtually every branch of government. The company also runs a voter survey app called Digital Sameeksha. The company further claims that the Digital Sameeksha app has a varied set of client base of political parties, MPs, MLAs, corporators and aspirants,” the Congress statement said.

“…Chilume committed a brazen fraud of collecting voter data by impersonating its privately hired employees as government officers of Karnataka and issued them BLO cards. This was done in cahoots with BBMP and election authority,” the statement read.

“The sum and substance of this conspiracy is to deny the ordinary voter his right to vote and to tamper the electoral list by surreptitious means,” Congress said.

Meanwhile, KPCC president D K Shivakumar said that the names of thousands of voters from minority, SC/ST and OBC communities were being deleted across the state by such exercises. “While the company offered to conduct the programme for free, each of those who collected information was paid Rs 1,500 per day,” he alleged, maintaining that all the data collectors hired by the company were BJP workers.

“The plan is to compile a voter list in favour of some candidates and secure their win. Everyone involved in this should be arrested and the data collected junked. The party will file an FIR against everyone involved in this attempt to rig the voter list,” he added.