Politics intensifies regarding SIR in Karnataka, Congress makes serious allegations against BJP
Karnataka: The political controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list is intensifying. On Saturday, the Congress alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is strategizing to influence 97 Assembly seats in the state—currently held by the Congress—through this process.
Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Working President G.C. Chandrashekhar stated that the party fears the BJP might attempt to gain political advantage in constituencies where the Congress holds a strong position by manipulating the SIR process. He claimed the party possesses specific inputs and intelligence regarding this matter.
Chandrashekhar said the Congress aims to raise public awareness about the process to ensure no eligible voter is deprived of their rights. He alleged that the BJP might try to gain electoral benefits by altering the voter list during the SIR process—a move the Congress vowed to thwart.
He announced that the Congress is launching a statewide campaign to ensure all eligible voters participate in the enumeration and verification process. This campaign will be actively conducted both before and during the SIR program, which begins on June 30.
The KPCC leader noted that the party has already trained its Booth Level Agents-2 (BLA-2) and completed organizational preparations. As part of this initiative, conferences will be held at the booth level, involving booth presidents and approximately 59,000 BLA-2 workers.
He added that the Congress would also invite Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to join the campaign to further strengthen voter awareness.
The Congress maintains that its campaign is aimed entirely at protecting democratic rights and ensuring a fair electoral process. The party asserted that it remains vigilant against any irregularities or partisan practices.
Meanwhile, political analysts believe that this exchange of allegations between the Congress and the BJP regarding the SIR could further heat up the political atmosphere ahead of the upcoming elections. A clash between the two parties over a sensitive issue like the revision of the electoral roll has sparked a new debate in state politics.
So far, there has been no official response from the Election Commission or the BJP regarding these allegations. However, this issue appears to be shaping up into a major political topic in Karnataka politics.
