This season, Karnataka election icon Rahul Dravid can’t vote

BENGALURU: Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid, who is Karnataka election commission’s icon and ambassador, will not be casting his vote on April 18. His name was deleted from the voters’ list but was not re-included.


Dravid has been the poster-boy of the state election commission, and hoardings with his appeal, ‘Cast your vote. Make

democracy

win’, dot the streets. Non-inclusion of his name in the voters’ list is attributed to non-submission of an application — Form 6 — on time by the cricketer.

Dravid is a resident of Indiranagar 12th Main, under the Shantinagar assembly segment in Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency. He has voted regularly, and was roped in by the EC for its campaign as he was politically neutral and a celebrity. “We are shocked to learn Dravid cannot vote this time,” an EC official told STOI.

Confusion crept in after Dravid’s brother Vijay submitted Form 7 (meant for deletion of names from voters’ list) on October 31, 2018, stating that Dravid and his wife Vijeta had moved from Indiranagar to Ashwathnagar in RMV Extension.

During the EC’s special drive, a booth-level officer visited Dravid’s Indiranagar residence and conducted ‘mahazhar’ in the presence of Vijay and deleted the names of Dravid and Vijeta. Domlur sub-division assistant electoral returning officer Basawaraju Magi confirmed that Vijay had submitted their deletion forms. “After deletion of names, Dravid did not submit Form 6 (for inclusion of names) to Mathikere sub-division office where the new house is located. The names would have been added to the list had they submitted Form 6.”

Magi said the first draft of voters’ list was published on January 16, 2019, and EC officials had appealed to all to check if their names are included. The last date for inclusion in the voters’ list was March 16.

Mathikere sub-division assistant electoral returning officer Roopa said booth-level officers had visited Dravid’s house during the special drive. “Our officials visited his house twice, but we were not allowed inside. We were informed Dravid is touring abroad and there is no message from him to include his name in voters’ list,” she added.

When contacted, Vijay confirmed he submitted Dravid’s Form 7 to the assistant electoral returning officer. “I do not know what happened later. I am not aware,” he said.

Dravid later contacted Magi and sought to know if his name can be continued in the voters’ list in Indiranagar. Magi said: “Dravid was in Spain, but was very eager to vote. Unfortunately, his name got deleted from the Shantinagar assembly constituency. I have told him if he still wants his name to be included in Shantinagar list, he needs to submit Form 6, which can be done once the EC allows it after April 23.”

BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad, who is also the district electoral officer, said anyone in the family can submit Form 7 for deletion of names stating the said person was not staying at the designated address. “But it is left to the person concerned to submit Form 6 to the respective jurisdictional officer to include his or her name in the voters’ list.”