Prominent Indian actor Prakash Raj has alleged that his name was removed from the Bengaluru electoral rolls during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. On Tuesday, August 11, the actor took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to claim that he is among approximately 6.5 million voters in Bengaluru who have purportedly lost their voting rights due to this administrative exercise.
In a video message, the actor hinted at pursuing legal action to restore his name to the voter list. He remarked, “Well, that was quite a joke. The game has begun. Let us see what other rules I have to go through and what documents I must produce to get my voter ID back.” Without explicitly naming the central government, he added, “Perhaps by using power, it is possible to strip citizens who will not vote for you of their franchise. But can you stop us? That is all I wanted to know.”
The Bengaluru Central City Corporation issued an official statement in response to these serious allegations. According to the corporation, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) conducted a door-to-door verification and discovered that the actor had permanently vacated his registered address. The statement clarified that the BLO consulted with neighbors and the property manager, and the flat owner confirmed via telephone that Prakash Raj had not resided at that location for the past four years, with new tenants currently occupying the premises.
Based on these findings, the corporation stated that a spot inspection report was prepared, and his voter status was updated to “shifted” in accordance with Election Commission regulations. Jagadish G, the Commissioner of the Bengaluru Central City Corporation and Additional District Election Officer, stated that he personally spoke with the actor over the phone. He noted that the actor acknowledged he no longer lives at the registered address but resides elsewhere within the Shantinagar assembly constituency.
Officials informed the actor that he could register his name by submitting Form 6 through the BLO at his current place of residence. Consequently, the authorities concluded that the allegations leveled by Prakash Raj were verified and proven to be false. The corporation emphasized that all actions taken were in strict compliance with the legal mandates set forth by the Election Commission.
It is noteworthy that this development follows a legal incident on July 10, when a city court granted conditional bail to the actor in a criminal case. That case involved allegations that he had illegally held four voter cards registered in different locations, which had previously led to the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him.
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