Codava National Council (CNC) President N.U. Nachappa has appealed to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, Anbu Kumar, the Election Commission of India and the Central Government to initiate stringent legal action against individuals who possess more than one voter identity card and allegedly misuse their voting rights.
In a memorandum, Nachappa sought urgent intervention to safeguard the voting rights of the indigenous Kodava community during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SI) of the electoral rolls. He urged the authorities to identify and cancel multiple voter ID cards allegedly held by non-residents in Kodavaland.
He demanded that all voter identity cards held by persons possessing more than one voter ID be cancelled and that strict penal action be initiated against such offenders under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Nachappa further stressed that special care should be taken to ensure the inclusion of the indigenous Kodava community in the electoral rolls. He appealed to all Kodavas to register their names and verify their identities during the Special Intensive Revision being conducted from June 30 to July 29, 2026.
Describing the Kodavas as an indigenous, mono-ethnic, nature-worshipping community whose cultural roots are exclusively in Kodagu, he said the Special Intensive Revision should restore and protect their unique identity in the electoral rolls.
He alleged that many outsiders who have settled in Kodagu possess multiple voter identity cards and demanded that all such illegal voter IDs be cancelled. He further called for criminal action against Panchayat PDOs and elected members who allegedly facilitate the issuance of such voter IDs, invoking the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act.
The memorandum further claimed that powerful lobbies controlling sectors such as mining, liquor, education, narcotics, coal, granite, sugar, agriculture, the stock market, real estate and petroleum exert considerable influence over the country’s political system. It alleged that similar vested interests, including coffee and pepper traders, sand and timber operators, real estate developers, resort owners and other business lobbies, have become active in Kodagu.
According to Nachappa, these groups comprise outside investors, business houses, non-resident Indians (NRIs), multinational corporate interests, black market operators, financial offenders, corrupt bureaucrats and tainted politicians. He alleged that one of their first objectives after investing in Kodagu is to obtain inclusion in the local electoral rolls and secure voter identity cards, thereby legitimising their presence and influencing elected representatives.
He further alleged that such investors also bring workers and employees from outside the district and facilitate the issuance of voter identity cards to them. According to the memorandum, some individuals allegedly possess five to six voter identity cards registered in different states.
Referring to electoral reforms introduced by former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan, Nachappa stated that while those reforms strengthened the electoral process, the multi-phase election system has created opportunities for misuse. He alleged that some individuals cast votes in Kodagu using fraudulent voter identities and subsequently travel to states such as Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Maharashtra and Telangana to vote again using additional voter IDs.
He urged the Election Commission to eliminate such practices, stating that only then could the principle of “one person, one vote” be effectively upheld. Nachappa further contended that the indigenous Kodava community, being numerically small, is the ultimate victim of such alleged electoral malpractice. He described the issue not merely as a local electoral irregularity but as one involving demographic change and a potential national security concern, considering Kodagu’s strategic location in the Western Ghats.
He appealed to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anbu Kumar and the Kodagu District Electoral Officer to treat the matter with utmost seriousness and initiate appropriate corrective measures.
The memorandum also called for a comprehensive door-to-door verification of indigenous Kodava voters with proper certification through traditional institutions such as the Mand, Devarakad and Ainmane.
