Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has called for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to be scrapped and conducted afresh, while demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Shivakumar made the demand amid a political row over the Election Commission’s functioning and reported differences among members of the poll panel. He was speaking at a Congress protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, where party leaders demanded accountability from the Election Commission.
The Chief Minister alleged that the electoral revision exercise was being used for political purposes and questioned whether eligible voters could be excluded from the rolls. He said the autonomy and credibility of the Election Commission must be protected and called for greater transparency in the revision process.
“The right to vote is the right of every citizen. Eligible voters should not be deprived of that right,” Shivakumar said, according to reports of his remarks. He demanded that the present SIR exercise be cancelled and that a fresh revision be undertaken.
Shivakumar also raised questions over reported objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to decisions taken by the Commission. His remarks followed reports that the two commissioners had recorded objections on multiple occasions over the previous 10 months.
He further criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demanded his resignation. The Congress has separately sought action against Kumar as part of its protest over the SIR exercise.
The Chief Minister also referred to voter numbers in Karnataka and claimed that the revision process had resulted in a substantial reduction in the electoral roll. However, the figures cited by political leaders remain part of the ongoing political dispute and should be read alongside the Election Commission’s official electoral-roll data.
The Election Commission has maintained that it is conducting the SIR as part of the electoral-roll revision process. Its voter services platform currently provides facilities for voters to search the SIR roll, submit documents against notices and register or update their electoral details.
The controversy has intensified following reports about differences within the Commission. The ECI, however, has said that internal notes, observations and differing views are part of institutional deliberations and that its final decisions, including SIR-related decisions, are taken by the full Commission.
Shivakumar said the Congress would continue to raise the issue of voter rights and demand safeguards for eligible electors. The dispute over the SIR exercise is expected to remain a major political issue in Karnataka as the electoral-roll revision progresses.
