Karnataka Groups Warn of Continued Protest Against Voter List Revision

A mass resistance convention against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was held at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Saturday. Unions and citizens' groups warned of intense protest if the Election Commission does not address their concerns by June 30, when the revision is scheduled to begin across Karnataka.

The protesters demanded that the category of 'logical discrepancy' should not be applied in the state. They also called for formation of village and ward-level vigilance committees and making computer-readable electoral rolls available.

Noor Sridhar, state president of Karnataka Janashakthi, said the SIR process should not be implemented in Karnataka the way it was done in Bihar and West Bengal, where, he claimed, it led to mass deletions. He alleged that the Election Commission and the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer were continuing their work without answering any questions raised.

Former minister B.T. Lalitha Naik said democracy survives only when citizens trust the government and judiciary. Workers' groups, including the State Anganwadi Associations, said the exercise was affecting workers physically and mentally. Dalit groups argued that the exercise was being rolled out without adequate awareness among citizens.

Groups representing the Alemari community said documents that common people possess are not listed under the SIR, calling it a reformed version of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Activist-columnist Shivasundar argued that correction in SIR through state government intervention is not possible and hence the state should reject the process.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President B.K. Hariprasad described the SIR as an 'axe blow to the foundation of the Constitution' and said it was part of an 'RSS-BJP conspiracy to curtail constitutional rights and disenfranchise women, Dalits and marginalised sections.' He called for a 'second freedom struggle' to defeat such conspiracies. Mr. Hariprasad said he attended as a representative of the government and assured protesters that the Congress party stood with them. He said demands were being discussed with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and other senior party leaders, and that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was actively working on the issue. He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that while citizens are asked to produce documents repeatedly, the Prime Minister has not produced his degree certificate. He further claimed that institutions like the Election Commission are filled with 'right-wing sympathisers.'

The protesters vowed to continue their campaign against the SIR 'till the last voter registration in the State is completed.'