Bengaluru, 6 July

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday rejected the Opposition's allegation that the Karnataka government was interfering in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He asserted that the process was being conducted entirely under the Election Commission's supervision. 

"Let the Election Commission probe the allegations," he said after BJP and JD(S) leaders submitted a complaint to Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar, alleging large-scale irregularities in the SIR and seeking a door-to-door re-verification of all enumeration forms, besides action against officials and political functionaries responsible.

Shivakumar said the Congress had its own reservations about the Election Commission's conduct of the SIR and had challenged aspects of the exercise in court, including the timeline. However, he said the State government was cooperating with the EC to ensure that no eligible voter was denied the franchise.

"The officials involved are working under the Election Commission's command. Our government is not interfering," he said, adding that the campaign was aimed solely at protecting voting rights. "Right to Vote is Right to Live."

The house-to-house enumeration phase of the SIR began on 30 June and will continue until 29 July. Shivakumar said the EC had allowed political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs), while civil society groups were also participating in the awareness drive.

He accused the BJP and JD(S) of questioning the credibility of the Election Commission because the government was encouraging people to verify their voter details. 

The Opposition has accused the Congress government of facilitating the inclusion of illegal immigrants through alleged mass enrolment camps instead of door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and released videos purportedly showing such camps.

 Rejecting the allegations, Shivakumar said the government was merely helping citizens access documents required for the exercise. Around 4.5 crore caste certificates had already been issued and made available online, while residence certificates were also being provided to eligible citizens. Since many voters may not possess records dating back to their 2002 registration, the government had enabled them to download the necessary documents.

Dismissing allegations of enrolling Bangladeshis, Shivakumar asked why the BJP had failed to deport any illegal immigrants while in power