BJP Demands Withdrawal of FIRs Against Karnataka Party Workers

The Bharatiya Janata Party dispatched two delegations to the Director General and Inspector General of Police in Bengaluru on October 3, 2026, to demand the withdrawal of FIRs filed against party workers. The legal actions stem from the submission of Form-7 applications during the Special Intensive Revision exercise, a process used to object to voter-list entries.

BJP Karnataka President B.Y. Vijayendra led the first delegation, arguing that submitting Form-7 is a legal provision under Election Commission rules. He accused Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of misusing the police department to target party workers under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and interfering with police functioning. Vijayendra specifically criticized the Chief Minister's proposal to form a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.

Later that day, a second delegation led by former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa submitted a memorandum to the police. Yediyurappa criticized the Chief Minister for staging a dharna at the Election Commission office to pressure the Commissioner and warned that the party would launch a statewide agitation if workers continue to be arrested, harassed, or assaulted. The BJP maintains that police officers should act according to the law rather than the directives of the state government.