Bengaluru: The Election Commission of India’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, scheduled to begin in Karnataka on June 20, has triggered concern within Congress, with party functionaries fearing sections of its traditional support base could be left out of the revised voter list.The month-long door-to-door voter verification by booth level officers (BLOs) will formally begin on June 30 and cover an estimated 5.5 crore voters across the state.Sources say chief minister Siddaramaiah and senior Congress functionaries have discussed concerns over possible exclusion of minorities, migrant populations and economically weaker sections during the exercise and health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the party was closely watching the process, given events that unfolded in other states.“There are apprehensions after what happened in West Bengal,” Rao told TOI, referring to the confusion close to elections. “They used SIR to manipulate voters’ lists, and many were deprived of their right to vote. If done well ahead of elections, those whose names are left out would get enough time to rectify it. We must take another look at procedures and ensure nothing wrong goes on here.”Referring to Assam, Rao alleged minority voters were disadvantaged through gerrymandering.Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa said the party had stepped up vigilance at the booth level. “Voters will be educated, and we will also take this up at a community level since we anticipate certain communities being impacted,” he said.Rizwan Arshad, who represents Shivajinagar in Bengaluru, an assembly constituency where minorities dominate, said the party would launch awareness campaigns to ensure minorities and underprivileged groups are not disenfranchised.HA Iqbal Hussain, MLC, said Karnataka differed from West Bengal as it did not share international borders, but added Congress would train BLA-2 workers to monitor the exercise alongside BLOs.Congress functionaries are also worried migrant populations from other states could face documentation-related confusion during verification, especially in urban centres in Bengaluru, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts.Priyank Kharge, rural development and panchayat raj minister, said the party had no objection to identifying genuine voters but questioned the process. “SIR should not merely mean cutting the voter list, but also ensuring a genuine list,” Priyank said.BJP state president BY Vijayendra accused Congress of opposing the exercise for political reasons, while BJP MLC Ravikumar said the party expected a “cleansing” of electoral rolls “through deletion of duplicate and deceased voters”. JD(S) national spokesperson Sudhakar S Shetty said the party had already begun awareness and training programmes for workers ahead of the exercise.RDPR minister Priyank Kharge said while there were no issues with the ECI mapping genuine voters, SIR should not merely mean reducing the voter list, but ensuring a genuine list. “Tribunals that never work are set up, and there are instances where people are left out without legal remedy. The highhandedness of the EC has ensured results are not what the people want,” said Kharge.
