<p>Bengaluru: An anti-SIR (Special Intensive Revision of voter list) coalition of people’s organisations and political parties (except BJP and JD-S) has demanded publication of the 2025 electoral rolls at the gram panchayat level, followed by mandatory grama sabhas to review, identify and correct voter deletions.</p>.<p>Amid the ongoing voter mapping by the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/election-commission">Election Commission</a>, a precursor to SIR, a consultation meeting of the coalition – SIR Virodhi Karnataka, resolved to meet Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge to push for decentralised verification of voter lists. </p><p>The forum also decided to constitute a legal team to move a fresh petition in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on SIR. The coalition decided to meet the CM and Deputy Chief Minister, seeking an all-party and all-organisations meeting to demand stalling of SIR in the state, till the Election Commission reviews the process held across 13 states till now.</p>.Karnataka Congress to build volunteer base for SIR to prevent 'voter deletion'.<p>Citing the alleged disruptions caused in West Bengal, where 35 lakh people could not vote as their appeals were not even examined, the coalition said it demonstrates that SIR is a flawed and mala fide exercise. So far, SIR has excluded 6.5 crore eligible voters from the electoral rolls. The process is yet to be conducted in 17 more states and five Union Territories, it noted.</p>.<p>Noor Sridhar, president of Eddelu Karnataka, a constituent of the coalition, said, “A majority of those deleted from voter lists are married women, migrant workers, nomadic communities, Adivasis, Dalits, and minorities. SIR has completely failed in its stated objective of identifying and removing non-citizens from voter rolls and instead subjected all 97 crore voters in the country to unnecessary hardship, while depriving crores of eligible voters, particularly from vulnerable communities, of their right to vote.”</p>.<p>A core committee and a common workroom in Bengaluru to anchor daily operations, voter outreach and follow-ups, and a helpline to assist affected voters, are on cards. The activists also demanded increasing the SIR period from three to six months, an increase in the appeal window too and also prompt issuing of residence and identity certificates by the state government to voters to prevent their exclusion. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: An anti-SIR (Special Intensive Revision of voter list) coalition of people’s organisations and political parties (except BJP and JD-S) has demanded publication of the 2025 electoral rolls at the gram panchayat level, followed by mandatory grama sabhas to review, identify and correct voter deletions.</p>.<p>Amid the ongoing voter mapping by the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/election-commission">Election Commission</a>, a precursor to SIR, a consultation meeting of the coalition – SIR Virodhi Karnataka, resolved to meet Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge to push for decentralised verification of voter lists. </p><p>The forum also decided to constitute a legal team to move a fresh petition in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on SIR. The coalition decided to meet the CM and Deputy Chief Minister, seeking an all-party and all-organisations meeting to demand stalling of SIR in the state, till the Election Commission reviews the process held across 13 states till now.</p>.Karnataka Congress to build volunteer base for SIR to prevent 'voter deletion'.<p>Citing the alleged disruptions caused in West Bengal, where 35 lakh people could not vote as their appeals were not even examined, the coalition said it demonstrates that SIR is a flawed and mala fide exercise. So far, SIR has excluded 6.5 crore eligible voters from the electoral rolls. The process is yet to be conducted in 17 more states and five Union Territories, it noted.</p>.<p>Noor Sridhar, president of Eddelu Karnataka, a constituent of the coalition, said, “A majority of those deleted from voter lists are married women, migrant workers, nomadic communities, Adivasis, Dalits, and minorities. SIR has completely failed in its stated objective of identifying and removing non-citizens from voter rolls and instead subjected all 97 crore voters in the country to unnecessary hardship, while depriving crores of eligible voters, particularly from vulnerable communities, of their right to vote.”</p>.<p>A core committee and a common workroom in Bengaluru to anchor daily operations, voter outreach and follow-ups, and a helpline to assist affected voters, are on cards. The activists also demanded increasing the SIR period from three to six months, an increase in the appeal window too and also prompt issuing of residence and identity certificates by the state government to voters to prevent their exclusion. </p>