INDIA bloc demands scrapping of SIR, seeks use of pre-SIR 2025 electoral rolls for next local polls

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad and Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda at the anti-SIR protest, in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The INDIA bloc on Thursday adopted a five-point resolution at its “Save the Vote, Save the Nation” protest at Freedom Park, demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the rejection of the revised electoral rolls in Karnataka.

The declaration also urged the State government to conduct the forthcoming local body, taluk and zilla panchayat elections using the pre-SIR 2025 electoral rolls. It called for the repeal of the law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the restoration of an independent selection process in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.

The resolution alleged that the names of more than 14 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls nationwide. In Karnataka, the electorate had declined from 5.54 crore to approximately 4.5 crore in the final list published on October 27. Of the 99.32 lakh names removed, approximately 23 lakh pertained to deceased and duplicate voters, while nearly 76 lakh were alleged to be eligible voters, including migrants and those who had shifted residence.

In Bengaluru, the number of voters has fallen from 1.04 crore to 59.08 lakh, with nearly 45 lakh names deleted, the declaration stated. It questioned the deletion of migrant voters and alleged that instead of updating their addresses through Form 8, they were being asked to apply afresh through Form 6.

The resolution also alleged misuse of Form 7 applications by BJP workers to seek deletion of voters’ names and questioned the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) handling of such complaints.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced that the State government would initiate a police investigation into the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications.

“There is CCTV footage showing who instigated vote theft and who brought the applications. Cases will be registered in this regard, and justice will be delivered,” he said.

He alleged that Form 7 applications had been printed at the BJP office and circulated among constituency-level leaders along with voters’ names and identification details. He appealed to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to cooperate in exposing the alleged irregularities.

“Our principal demand is that the names of all voters deleted from the electoral rolls, except those who are deceased, must be restored,” he said, adding that the agitation would continue until justice was delivered to affected voters.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said the large-scale reduction in Karnataka’s electorate raised serious concerns about the voting rights of eligible citizens. He demanded that the ECI disclose the reasons for the deletions and ensure that no eligible voter was excluded without due process.

Questioning the changes to the selection process for election commissioners, he said the replacement of the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister in the selection committee had raised concerns about the Election Commission’s independence.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president B.K. Hariprasad said the protest was a continuation of the nationwide agitation held at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1 under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.

“All political parties that believe in constitutional values and democratic institutions must unite,” he said. He added that the INDIA bloc would intensify its campaign across Karnataka.