Cong denies Oppn’s charge of ‘influencing’ K’taka SIR; BJP moves EC

CHief government minister DK Shivakumar on lord's day dismissed the oppositeness’s allegations of “influencing” the on-going special intensive revise (SIR) of electoral rolls, even as the BJP and JD(S) accused the administration of departing from Election Commission procedures and sought official intervention.Shivakumar said the Congress government had nothing to gain from manipulating the SIR process, which began across the state on June 30. “Their job has always been to blame the government,” Shivakumar told reporters when asked about accusations made by the BJP and JD(S).The chief minister also rejected claims that election officials were conducting voter enrolment from centralised locations instead of visiting households. “We have requested everyone to retain their voting power in an attempt to ensure they protect their rights,” he said.Shivakumar added that the Congress itself had grievances regarding the Election Commission (EC) and would pursue those concerns through legal means.Even as the state government defended the exercise, the BJP stepped up its appeal to the EC, arguing that the revision was being implemented in a manner that could compromise the electoral rolls. A delegation led by state BJP president BY Vijayendra submitted a memorandum to the chief electoral officer’s office seeking an inquiry into the conduct of the SIR across Karnataka.According to the memorandum, the party wants the Commission to determine whether mandatory house to house verification by booth level officers (BLOs) has been replaced with camp based verification in community halls. The BJP said such a departure could result in the enrolment of ineligible individuals, including illegal immigrants and others not entitled to be registered as electors, thereby affecting the integrity of the voter list.The memorandum further stated that elected representatives, BLOs, party workers and members of the public had raised concerns about how the exercise was being carried out. It also alleged that BLOs were being prevented from performing their statutory duties in accordance with EC guidelines.Union minister HD Kumaraswamy also urged the EC to cancel the ongoing revision and begin the exercise afresh, alleging extensive political interference by the ruling Congress.The Congress rejected the Opposition’s assertions, arguing that they misrepresented how the revision exercise was functioning on the ground.Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson M Lakshmana said there was nothing improper about voters completing forms at designated public locations with assistance from BLOs. “How can the process be manipulated simply because the forms are being filled at one place?” he asked.Lakshmana said BLOs were carrying out their official responsibilities by helping voters complete the required paperwork. “What is wrong if BLOs help voters complete the forms?” he said.Lakshmana alleged that similar revision exercises in West Bengal and Bihar had “benefited” the BJP and claimed the party was attempting to employ the same “strategy” in Karnataka. He further alleged that names of Congress supporters had been removed 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.Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai added another set of allegations, claiming that the revision process in the Ron and Gadag assembly constituencies was marred by duplicate entries and procedural violations. “The process has gone haywire. BLOs are missing from duty, forms are being filled in bunches inside mosques, temples, and welfare halls. Regulations have been thrown to the wind,” Bommai said.He alleged that former minister HK Patil’s name appeared three times in different polling booths and claimed Ron constituency contained 3,804 fake votes while Gadag had 2,305 duplicate or triplicate entries. Bommai also alleged that the name Allahsab Nadaf appeared multiple times in the Ron electoral rolls. “If a senior minister’s name is duplicated, imagine the plight of ordinary citizens,” he said. “This is not just negligence, it’s manipulation,” Bommai added.