New Delhi [India], October 12 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday demanded that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls be fully scrapped, saying the INDIA bloc’s protest against alleged electoral irregularities represented the voice of the entire country.
Shivakumar said the protest represented the concerns of people across the country and demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped. He also called for the restoration of ballot papers.
“It is not only the INDIA bloc; it is the voice of this country. All want this SIR to be scrapped, all voters to be. Those who have won the election after this, sir, should be scrapped and the ballot should be restored,” he said.
He alleged that Form 7 had been used to submit applications seeking the removal of voters belonging to minority and disadvantaged communities in Karnataka.
“Democracy and the Constitution have disappeared. We never expected such illegal activities. You know, in Karnataka, I showed that lakhs and lakhs of Form 7s were submitted by BJP people to remove all the voters from the minorities, backward classes, scheduled classes, and others. Now they are asking to do it again in Form 6.
Shivkumar alleged that BJP has won in West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Haryana by unfair means and wanted to do that in Karnataka as well.
“The exercise they did in West Bengal, in Maharashtra, in Haryana, that is exactly how they won the election. They wanted to do it again in Karnataka. We will not allow it; we will fight it out,” he said.
“So, we are very hopeful that the court will deliver justice and injustice will not be thrown from the seat of justice. I hope Survekhan and his team will protect India, the Constitution, and the rights of every common man,” Shivakumar added.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the participation of people from different political parties and student groups reflected a broader concern about protecting voting rights. He also said that the police had allowed the protest to proceed and expressed hope that the legal proceedings would move forward promptly.
“What I have seen today, the numbers of people, the throngs, the people I have seen on both sides of the road everywhere we went and then the enthusiasm and commitment they have shown, even despite the way the police behaved on Saturday and even Sunday, people have the courage to come out. Today, thank God, the police behaved themselves, stood by as observers, and let the right to protest manifest,” Tharoor said.
He said that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) has agreed to hear the opposition’s grievances and this is what he considers a “victory of democracy”.
“So, you know, today Rahul Gandhi’s filed petition has been accepted on the ECI website. The CJI had already said that he would hear it at the earliest possible opportunity. The earliest possible opportunity is tomorrow, when they are already hearing some cases related to the SIR. So we are hoping that the process we are fighting for will move rapidly forward. To my mind, this is a victory for democracy. We are out here only for democracy.
Tharoor alleged that the 30 million people who were cut off should be put back and the illegal changes made to Form Six and Form Seven should be rolled back.
“Well, I think we believe that, first of all, the rolls must be restored. The 130 million people who were cut off should be put back. The illegal changes made to Form Six and Form Seven should be rolled back. The court is hearing the case that the SIR process should be stopped and thoroughly reviewed by the Supreme Court. It should be done under its supervision. After all that, we are confident we’ll be able to defeat the BJP in the next election. But we want a fair and free election process.”
The Congress MP claimed that he is confident that he will win the next election but wants the SIR process to be fixed so that it provides everyone an “even playing field”.
“We want an even playing field, and we want the whole country to see that once again, India is proud to be the world’s largest democracy. Unfortunately, the behaviour of the Chief Election Commissioner over the last couple of years has made us an object of mockery rather than admiration. Let’s go back to being what India has always been proud of,” Tharoor said.
Earlier today, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and 10 other Opposition leaders moved the Supreme Court, challenging the manner in which the Election Commission has taken decisions relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. It seeks disclosure of the EC’s complete files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections concerning the disputed decisions, including the June 24, 2025 decision to commence the SIR, as well as ECINET and ERONET access logs.
It also seeks a judicial examination of whether these decisions were taken in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, the 2023 law governing the Election Commission and the Supreme Court’s ruling in T.N. Seshan vs Union of India. Among the substantive reliefs sought, the petition asks the court to ensure that no elector is deleted without notice and a reasonable opportunity of hearing, and to direct publication, booth-wise, of deleted electors along with reasons for deletion and demographic details. (ANI)
Related reading
