K’taka SIR: NDA leaders demand mandatory door-to-door re-verification, probe into irregularities
Bengaluru, July 6 (IANS) The NDA alliance partners in Karnataka have urged the Chief Electoral Officer to order an immediate inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
They have also demanded the mandatory re-verification of all enumeration forms through door-to-door verification and strict legal action against officials and political functionaries found responsible for violating the Election Commission’s guidelines.
In a joint letter addressed to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar on Monday, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, H.D. Kumaraswamy and Shobha Karandlaje, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, and former Deputy Chief Minister and MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan expressed serious concern over what they described as “massive irregularities” in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
The leaders alleged that officials entrusted with conducting the SIR exercise were disregarding the Election Commission of India’s approved procedures, thereby undermining the integrity of the electoral process.
According to the letter, the SIR guidelines require Booth Level Officers (BLOs), under the supervision of the District Election Officer, to carry out mandatory door-to-door verification and personally verify the identity of every member of each household. However, they claimed that this procedure was not being followed in several parts of Karnataka.
The NDA leaders alleged that enumeration forms were instead being filled out at community halls, mosques and even at the residences of Booth Level Officers. They also claimed that WhatsApp groups had been created to encourage people to visit such locations for the SIR process instead of undergoing house-to-house verification.
They contended that these practices violate the Election Commission’s prescribed guidelines and raise serious concerns about the neutrality and secular character of the electoral process.
They further argued that the objective of the Special Intensive Revision is to strengthen the integrity of electoral rolls, but the alleged deviations from the prescribed process defeat the very purpose of the exercise.
The leaders said they had shared evidence of the alleged violations on social media and claimed that similar instances had also been reported by sections of the mainstream media. They added that multiple complaints had been received from different parts of the state regarding similar irregularities.
Calling the matter serious, the NDA alliance partners urged the Chief Electoral Officer to order an immediate inquiry and direct the re-verification of all enumeration forms through mandatory door-to-door verification.
They also demanded strict legal action against all officials and political functionaries found responsible for the alleged irregularities, while stressing that no deviation should be permitted from the procedures prescribed by the Election Commission of India.
–IANS
mka/dpb