Opposition to SIR Grows as Activists Urge Karnataka Govt to Protect Voting Rights

A delegation of activists, former bureaucrats and political leaders opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls met Siddaramaiah on Friday, urging the Karnataka government to protect citizens’ voting rights and halt the ongoing process in its current form.

The delegation termed the SIR process “ undemocratic and unscientific ”, alleging that it was leading to the exclusion of genuine voters. Retired IAS officer S G Devasahayam , political analysts Parakala Prabhakar and Nikhil Dey , former minister B T Lalitha Naik and activist Thomas Franco were among those present. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Ministers Priyank Kharge and Santosh Lad also attended the meeting.

In a statement, the alliance accused the Election Commission of India of “losing credibility” over the manner in which the SIR was introduced and implemented, alleging political bias and failure to fulfil its constitutional duties under Article 324. The group also expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court of India, claiming it had failed to adequately safeguard citizens’ voting rights.

The delegation demanded that the ongoing Supreme Court hearing on the constitutional validity of the SIR be completed before the exercise proceeds further. It also sought reforms to ensure transparent voter enrolment and prevent wrongful deletions.

Among the key demands were extending the revision timeline from three to six months, establishing voter assistance centres in all gram panchayats and wards, public scrutiny of draft electoral rolls through gram sabhas, and a six-month appeal window for deleted voters .

The leaders also urged Karnataka to create a “ self-sufficient voters’ list ” through a social audit system and set a national model for electoral transparency.