While the state is reeling under severe drought, the DK Shivakumar government is busy diverting public attention towards issues such as SIR and sting operation, alleges R Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
In an interaction with TNIE, he speaks about various issues, from guarantee schemes to scams to mismanagement of Bengaluru. He also exudes confidence that the BJP-JDS coalition will sweep the 2028 Assembly elections by winning more than 150 seats. Excerpts...
How do you see the controversy of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Karnataka?
SIR is not new, this is the ninth SIR. No one raised their voice against SIR before. Earlier, they had issues with Electronic Voting Machines, now they are demanding the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner, tomorrow they will demand the Prime Minister’s removal. Their target is the PM. He is PM for the third time and they fear he will continue for the fourth time.
There is no issue with SIR as being alleged by the Opposition. SIR is done by state government officials. How can there be an issue? There is no problem with people giving Form 7. The Election Commission will decide if it is right or not.
The Chief Minister himself went to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer...
The CM going to the Election Commission office by skipping the Cabinet meeting is a new low. There is drought which should have been the priority. But their interest lies in different issues. It’s not a good sign to sit on the floor with Cabinet ministers. At the Cabinet meeting, he spoke about sting operations on ministers and himself. Cabinet meetings are supposed to discuss public issues, not private ones. They have done this to divert public attention from real issues, such as drought.
Do you think the SIR process could have been simplified?
Yes. But in West Bengal and other states, we know how many people have entered from Bangladesh. As per an estimate, there are two crore people from Bangladesh. In Karnataka, there are around 25 lakh Bangladeshis. Why should they come to our country? Our tax money is being spent on them. Irrespective of religion, anyone from India can be a voter of this country, but this right is not given to citizens of other countries.
This is why it has to be done strictly. So far, no complaint has been lodged from individuals about their names missing from the list. In my constituency alone, the number of voters was 2.83 lakh. Now, it has come down to 1.50 lakh. This is because there are many people from different states. This is the reason for Bengaluru’s voting percentage being around 50 per cent.
The SIR of electoral rolls has triggered allegations of large-scale deletion of voters. What is your response?
Voter deletion is a routine electoral process. Around 1.03 crore people have died between 2002 and 2026, according to government data, their names must be removed during the SIR exercise. Migration is high in Bengaluru, where people frequently move for jobs, as well as Mysuru and Hubballi. Rahul Gandhi and others are questioning the number of deletions, but deceased voters cannot remain on the rolls indefinitely. The Congress is concerned about losing votes.
The Congress alleges that Form-7 applications seeking voter deletions are being filed in a planned manner by the BJP. What did you discuss with the CEO Karnataka?
We met him over complaints and cases related to Form-7 applications. We urge election officials, not the police, to determine whether the applications are genuine or false. Around 30-40 cases may have been registered so far. We are consulting our legal team and considering a public interest litigation (PIL) to address the issue comprehensively.
The state government has reportedly withheld pension payments for months, pending verification. Is there any link between this verification exercise and deletion of beneficiaries?
What is the link between deleting deceased beneficiaries’ names and withholding pensions from eligible people? As Revenue Minister earlier, I handled a pension budget of around Rs 10,000 crore annually. Verification should remove ineligible names without denying benefits to genuine beneficiaries. Pensions have reportedly been withheld for five months, leaving vulnerable people struggling to afford food and medicines. If only 3-5 per cent are ineligible, why deny pension to the remaining 95 per cent? The government must pay eligible beneficiaries and address its financial management issues.
You have been Leader of Opposition for nearly three years. How has the experience been?
I have served as a minister five times, handling Home, Revenue, Health, Transport and Food, besides being Deputy Chief Minister. But being Leader of the Opposition is different. As a minister, you have officials to provide documents and notes. As Opposition leader, you must do the groundwork yourself, study issues thoroughly and prepare to question the government. The government may come unprepared for discussions, but the Opposition cannot afford to.
With local body elections approaching, will the BJP and JDS contest together under the NDA banner? How much vote transfer can the alliance expect?
Discussions are under way on whether the alliance should be implemented across the state or district-wise. The JDS is strong in some districts but has a limited presence in others. Our state-level core committee and coordination committee will take a decision. There is a general inclination to contest together. The BJP and JDS do not have major differences or widespread clashes between their workers, which is a significant advantage. By contrast, Congress and JDS workers may find it difficult to work together in certain constituencies. I believe vote transfer between the BJP and JDS can be around 90 per cent.
What about the consolidation of minority votes? Is it benefiting the Congress?
Minority voters have largely consolidated behind Congress ever since JDS allied with the BJP about a decade ago. Earlier, they would vote for the Congress or JDS, depending on which party was best positioned to defeat the BJP. That pattern has changed.
The Congress alleges nothing fruitful happened in the last session because of the Opposition protest. What do you say?
We agree that we did not speak on drought back then but nothing fruitful happened during the special session called to discuss drought also. It recorded the highest participation of MLAs ever in the history of the Assembly. When I was revenue minister, compensation of Rs 6,000crore was given. Now, the Congress has announced Rs 1,240crore, which is yet to be given. The debate had no outcome. It was only a face-saving exercise. The farmers are returning money to the government. They are also adding some more from their sources while returning it to DCs.
It was said that many more ministers will follow suit after Nagendra’s resignation. What happened?
We are getting ready for this. Many scams are slowly getting exposed, including the KPSC and labour department. This department gets a lot of money but there is no spending plan. Thus annually around Rs 200-300 crore is accumulated and left unutilised.
Is the garbage mafia a big concern in Bengaluru?
Ideally, tenders are called for a period till the government is ruling. In some cases, it’s extended by a year or two. But the Congress has called for tenders for 35 years with an additional 30 years’ extension. So, for the next six government tenures, tenders cannot be called for. People normally think that those working with garbage are poor people. But that is not the case, the people who sell and deal with it have their own aircraft.
How is the Congress government handling issues in Bengaluru?
Bengaluru has been totally neglected. The tunnel road project is not moving forward. There is also a problem near Hebbal Lake. A tunnel-boring machine, if sourced from Germany, would take nearly 1.5 years to complete excavation. Shivakumar has only another 1.5 years of his tenure. Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda makes all the noise but garbage is still lying everywhere in the city.
The issue of abandoned vehicles has also been neglected. More than one lakh abandoned vehicles are lying across Bengaluru. We need at least 150 acres of land to accommodate all these vehicles. Where are the towing vehicles to remove them? We need around 300 towing vehicles to tow one lakh abandoned vehicles. Five city corporations have been formed but there is only 30 per cent of the required staff available. The drive to remove footpath encroachments has also failed. A few days ago, I visited Malleswaram to check the progress. All the vendors have returned to the pavements.
Will GBA elections be held in December?
I doubt it. Issues concerning the anti-SIR campaign and Form-7 are going on. The election schedule must be announced first, after which objections will be raised. Once the objections are addressed, the final electoral roll must be published.
Why are Bengaluru MLAs not keen on holding GBA elections?
That is partly true. Once elections are announced, aspirants will demand party tickets. Those who do not get tickets may rebel. This creates tension for MLAs and MPs.
If GBA elections are held, how many seats will the BJP win?
We will win all five corporations. When Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister, we won 101 out of 189 seats (in erstwhile BBMP).
Will the three expelled BJP MLAs return to the party?
When elections approach, those who subscribe to Hindutva ideology will come together. The decision will be taken by the party’s high command. However, there are some MLAs, such as ST Somashekar, who will not be taken back into the party.
The Congress claims there are many factions within the BJP. What is your response?
Factionalism also exists within the Congress. There is the DK Shivakumar faction, G Parameshwara faction and Siddaramaiah faction.
Who will be the BJP’s CM face in 2028?
The BJP never announces its chief ministerial candidate before elections. We will face the elections, and after that, MLAs will elect the Chief Minister. Anyone chosen by the high command could become the CM.
What about a change of leadership in the state BJP?
It is up to the high command to decide whether to announce new names or continue with existing leaders.
What is your opinion of the guarantee schemes? Will BJP continue them if it comes to power?
People have lost faith in the guarantee schemes because the government is imposing several restrictions, preventing people from receiving their benefits. They are unhappy because money is not reaching beneficiaries every month. They are deleting ration cards and removing consumers from the free electricity scheme if their consumption exceeds 200 units.
Also, while giving Rs 2,000 per month to women, the government has hiked milk prices three times, increased petrol prices and stamp duty, and raised garbage cess from Rs 30 to Rs 400 per flat, among other measures. According to our calculations, every household is spending Rs 6,000 more.
The approach is not the same in BJP. PM Modi believes in spending on education, irrigation, development works and infrastructure, rather than on freebies. We will study the guarantee schemes implemented by the BJP in states such as Maharashtra and decide on our guarantees closer to the elections. The problem in Karnataka was that the government announced guarantees without any planning. If BJP announces guarantees, we will do so only after proper planning.
What is the Opposition’s role when the state is reeling under drought and public attention is shifting from SIR to the sting operation?
Diverting public attention is the ruling party’s strategy. The BJP will tour the entire state to build a people’s movement around drought, while the Chief Minister is busy with the sting operation.
How many seats can the BJP-JDS alliance win in the 2028 elections?
We can comfortably win 150 seats with the BJP-JDS alliance, just as Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan together secured a two-third majority in Andhra Pradesh. Unlike Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar is not a mass leader. Due to his background, real estate interests and business motives, people have still not accepted him as a mass leader. They sidelined Siddaramaiah and do not have a strong chief ministerial face. If they bring Rahul Gandhi into the campaign, they will lose votes rather than gain them. The BJP and JDS together will sweep the elections.
