BENGALURU: On the occasion of Independence Day, grassroots campaign Eddelu Karnataka (Wake Up Karnataka) has alleged that large numbers of eligible voters are being removed from electoral rolls under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and called for a movement to protect voting rights.
In a statement issued on behalf of the organisation, signatories Tara Rao, J M Veerasangaiah, M Y Kanni and V S Sridhar claimed that around 6 crore voters nationwide have already been removed from the rolls, with another 6 crore reportedly at risk. In Karnataka, they said, more than 1 crore people have reached the deletion stage, including an additional 30 lakh marked as “not mapped” and expected to receive notices.
The group said it had spent six months preparing for the SIR process, including training Booth Level Agents (BLAs), running awareness campaigns and working alongside Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to correct errors in enumeration forms. It said these efforts had prompted special enumeration drives in areas such as Kodagu and Chamarajanagar after media reports highlighted gaps.
The organisation alleged that deletions have continued on a large scale, attributing this to voters not being issued Form No. 8 (for address transfers), when they have moved house, and to names being struck off without inquiry when residents were not at home during BLO visits. It contrasted this with earlier revisions, which it said typically increased voter numbers as officials searched door-to-door for unregistered residents.
The statement also referenced actor and activist Prakash Raj, who it said had publicly refused to file a fresh Form No. 6 and instead demanded a Form No. 8 to transfer his existing registration, calling this an example of contesting deletion “with dignity” rather than pleading to be reinstated. Eddelu Karnataka called on civil society groups and citizens to pledge resistance to further deletions, describing the right to vote as one “won” through the independence movement rather than one to be sought through appeals to authorities.