Actor Prakash Raj, a vocal critic of the BJP, claimed on Tuesday that he was among the 65 lakh voters whose names have been deleted from the Bangalore constituency amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.Bengaluru has emerged as the biggest concern in the state’s SIR exercise, with nearly half the city’s electors currently falling under the ASDDO (Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead and Others) category during the house-to-house enumeration process.In a video message on Instagram, Prakash Raj said, “Dear friends, saathiyon, I want to share a joke with you, I am one of the 65 lakh voters whose voter right has been deleted from Bangalore constituency after SIR, nice joke, no. I was born in this constituency, I lived in this constituency, I had my schooling, college, theatre and for your kind information I was an MP candidate of this constituency, too. Well the joke is nice. Game on.”In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the actor had contested as an Independent candidate from the Bangalore Central constituency.Last month, Prakash Raj secured conditional bail after a city court in Bengaluru issued a non-bailable warrant against him in a case alleging that he possessed multiple voter ID cards. The complainant had alleged that the actor possessed four voter ID cards, one each in Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, running afoul of the Election Commission’s rule permitting only one voter ID per person.He added, “Let me see what is the process I have to go through, kya kya kagaz dikhana padega (what all papers I have to show) to get back my voter ID,” in an apparent reference to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, echoing screenwriter-lyricist Varun Grover’s protest poem “Hum Kaagaz Nahin Dikhayenge,” which became an anthem of resistance during the 2019 CAA-NRC protests.Signing off, Prakash Raj said, “Well game on but one little word, my friend, you can use your powers to deny a few of the citizens the right to vote who may not elect you but can you stop us. My dear friend, from our power, we are bringing you down. Just asking. Bye.”Also Read: Prakash Raj faces legal complaint over alleged remarks on Ramayana
