A massive controversy rocked Karnataka after nearly 10,000 “fake” voter ID cards were seized from a flat in Rajrajeshwari Assembly seat, prompting the BJP to demand countermanding of the election claiming Congress was behind the racket, a charge dismissed by the latter as a “lie”.

With just three days left before Karnataka goes to poll, the BJP and Congress, the two main contenders for power, went after each other, claiming the flat belonged to a woman associated with the rival party.

Addressing a press conference, Union minister Prakash Javadekar claimed Congress candidate and sitting MLA Munirathna Naidu was behind the alleged racket, which was exposed by BJP worker Rakesh. Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjawala hit right back, alleging that the flat owner Manjula Nanjamari and Rakesh had BJP connections and both contested Bengaluru Municipal Corporation elections on the tickets of the saffron party.

Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar had called a press conference Tuesday midnight where he said besides the cards, form 6A (application for inclusion of name in electoral roll by an overseas elector) with counterfoils were found. He said that the colour in the counterfoil appeared unusual, and that an inquiry was on.

Javadekar said thousands of fake cards with hologram, lamination machines, and computers were seized by police after BJP workers informed it about the racket, and demanded a thorough forensic inquiry. “This is the philosophy of the Congress....If voters do not vote for you, create fake voters,” he said, claiming a “fake voter ID printing factory” was being run in Manjula’s flat. Manjula, he said, was once associated with the BJP but was now with the Congress, and demanded her immediate arrest. He alleged she had campaigned for the sitting Congress MLA from the seat and its candidate for the current Assembly election Munirathna Naidu in the last polls.

The Congress hit back with a vengeance, claiming BJP was making such allegations because it was aware of its imminent defeat. Surjewala said the ID cards and equipment were not recovered from the flat by the police but BJP workers. The flat, he said, belonged to a BJP worker.

“Prakash Javadekar had the audacity to lie, mislead the people of Karnataka by saying Manjula does not belong to the BJP. She is a former BJP corporator from Jalahalli and Rakesh also contested corporation election on BJP ticket in 2015. Rakesh was a tenant of flat No. 115,” he said.

While some TV news channels claimed Rakesh was Manjula’s son, and others said she was his adoptive mother, the women at the centre of the controversy insisted they were relatives but had “no contact”.

The EC on Wednesday sent deputy election commissioner Kumar as a ‘special observer’ to Karnataka. He will submit a report to the EC at the earliest.