Vijayapura: Vijayapura district is seeing a political and legal tussle over the SIR exercise, with three FIRs alleging attempts to delete voters’ names, one of them naming MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, while BJP leaders are raising questions over the names of deceased persons remaining on the rolls.

In the case involving Yatnal, Abdul Razak, a 50-year-old, vegetable trader from Vijayapura, has alleged that a purported fake death certificate showing him as deceased was submitted along with a letter on the MLA’s letterhead to the Vijayapura City Corporation Commissioner on September 3, seeking deletion of his name from the electoral roll.

Razak said he was alive and a voter in the Vijayapura city Assembly constituency. He sought action against Yatnal over the alleged submission of the purported fake death certificate.

In another case, Javed, a businessman from Nisaramaddi, alleged that Girish Patil alias Biradar submitted a Form 7 application claiming that he did not reside at his permanent address.

Javed, a voter in Ward 30 of the Vijayapura city Assembly constituency, said he had furnished his details to the Booth Level Officer during the SIR exercise. He alleged that false documents were created and submitted with the Form 7 application to get his name deleted.

In the third case, Hajilal Kambirsab Kottalagi, a farmer from Tikota, alleged that six persons — Bhimu Golasangi, Vinayak Mamadapur, Mahesh Mukartihal, Anand Ambiger, Huchhappa Ganiger and Govind Mudanur — had submitted Form 7 applications seeking deletion of his name.

Hajilal alleged that false documents were created to claim that he was not residing at his address despite being a permanent resident of Tikota. He also alleged that similar applications had been submitted in the case of other Muslim voters.

The complainants in the first two cases alleged that the attempts could affect the voting rights of Muslim voters and create differences between communities.

In a press meet held on Thursday, Vijayapura City Corporation member Premanand Biradar alleged that the name of the father of Vijayapura district Congress general secretary, who died about a year ago, continued to figure in the draft electoral roll.

Biradar alleged that Congress general secretary Irfan Sheikh was a Congress BLA-2 and that Razia Begum, who lived in the same locality, was the BLO. He alleged that the two had committed an irregularity by allowing the name of a deceased person to remain on the electoral roll and demanded an inquiry.

Swami Vivekananda Sene president Chandrashekhar Chowdhary said his organisation would seek registration of an FIR against Sheikh and legal action against him over the alleged irregularity.