BENGALURU: Bringing Karnataka’s voter-deletion row to the national stage, protesters from the state joined the INDIA bloc’s march in Delhi on Sunday, carrying what they described as the “longest list” of names deleted from electoral rolls.The delegation’s participation comes amid growing opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, with the INDIA bloc accusing the Election Commission of allowing eligible voters to be removed.The protest, held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, is part of the Opposition’s nationwide campaign against alleged electoral irregularities.INDIA bloc leaders are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging large-scale voter deletions and questioning the Election Commission’s independence.The march began from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction, with senior Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee and KC Venugopal, heading towards Ramlila Maidan. The rally is being attended by leaders and supporters of several INDIA bloc parties.
Over 99 lakh fewer voters in final electoral roll
The Karnataka delegation’s protest comes days after the state published its final electoral roll following the SIR exercise. The final list, released on October 27, recorded 4.54 crore electors, compared with 5.54 crore before the revision — a reduction of nearly 99.76 lakh voters.According to the Chief Electoral Officer’s data, 1.08 crore enumeration forms were not included in the final roll. Separately, 61,867 electors were declared ineligible after notices were issued and hearings conducted.The exercise also saw 10.08 lakh voters added and 1.88 lakh names deleted during the claims and objections period. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision was intended to verify voter eligibility and update electoral rolls.The Opposition, however, has alleged that eligible voters risk being excluded through the exercise and has demanded that the SIR process be scrapped and eligible voters whose names were deleted be restored to the electoral rolls.
INDIA bloc demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation
The November 1 rally follows a symbolic public impeachment programme held by Opposition MPs on October 31 at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence.Around 250 INDIA bloc MPs participated in the proceedings, which were modelled on parliamentary debates and culminated in a resolution accusing the CEC of facilitating electoral manipulation. The exercise was symbolic and did not constitute a formal impeachment proceeding.The INDIA bloc had called on supporters, including students, youth, women and workers, to join the ‘Chalo Dilli’ march. Opposition parties projected a turnout of up to 10 lakh, while Delhi Police estimated around 50,000 participants.More than 4,000 police personnel were deployed around Ramlila Maidan and the march route.(With agency inputs)
