Electoral roll revision in Mysuru: Congress and BJP trade accusations

A political dispute has emerged in Karnataka over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the Narasimharaja Assembly constituency in Mysuru. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that the revision is being conducted in violation of Election Commission guidelines and has demanded that the process be supervised by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In response, the Congress party has accused the BJP of misleading the public and creating unnecessary confusion.

At a press conference in Mysuru on Sunday, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana dismissed the BJP's allegations as baseless. He argued that the revision exercise cannot be manipulated simply because enumeration forms are being filled at designated public locations instead of being distributed door-to-door, as the BJP had claimed. 'How can the process be manipulated simply because the forms are being filled at one place?' he asked.

Mr. Lakshmana stated that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are assisting voters in filling the forms as part of their official duties. 'What is wrong if BLOs help voters complete the forms?' he questioned. He rejected allegations made by Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar that the revision was not being conducted according to rules because forms were being filled at public places where several voters had gathered.

The Congress spokesperson further alleged that similar SIR exercises in states such as West Bengal and Bihar had 'benefited' the BJP, and claimed that the party was attempting to replicate the same strategy in Karnataka. He said that names of many traditional Congress supporters had been deleted from electoral rolls in states where the exercise had already been completed. 'The Congress has always ensured that the names of genuine voters are included in the electoral rolls during revision exercises in the past. The BJP, however, is trying to get the names of Congress supporters deleted during SIR,' he alleged.

Mr. Lakshmana claimed that Karnataka is the BJP's next political target and accused the party of creating unnecessary controversy over the electoral roll revision for political reasons.

The SIR exercise is a standard process aimed at updating electoral rolls. Both parties have made claims about its conduct. The Election Commission of India has guidelines for such revisions, and any allegations of violation should be addressed by the Commission. The dispute highlights the political sensitivity of electoral roll revisions, especially in a constituency that will be contested in future elections.