CM holds discussions on SIR with citizens’ groups

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a gathering with leaders and representatives of salient citizens’ groups connected the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, successful Bengaluru connected May 8.

More than a twelve leaders attended the gathering and discussed the implications of the SIR workout successful the State.

Congress leaders person linked the All India Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) decision successful West Bengal to alleged large-scale elector deletions during the SIR of electoral rolls. However, the authorities has not formally announced immoderate determination to reason the SIR process, sources said.

Ministers are believed to person discussed the SIR process during the Cabinet gathering held connected Thursday (May 7). However, nary determination was taken either to reason the projected revision oregon to question a implicit overhaul of the process, arsenic demanded by immoderate citizens’ groups.

Mr. Siddaramaiah said the decision of the TMC could person been caused either by anti-incumbency oregon by the deletion of voters’ names during the SIR exercise. The State volition spell to Legislative Assembly polls successful 2028.

The representatives aboriginal met Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and different Ministers with the aforesaid demand.

The Ministers, however, remained non-committal, said the delegation members who were informed that decisions would beryllium taken aft further discussions. 

Inconclusive discussion

Vinay Sreenivasa, lawyer and run member, expressed concerns successful the meetings that SIR could pb to exclusion of radical successful the State successful ample numbers from the voting rolls, akin to that successful West Bengal.

“Unfortunately, the treatment that followed lone led to the foregrounding of immoderate steps that the State authorities whitethorn instrumentality to minimise deletions. Neither the Chief Minister nor the Deputy Chief Minister made a committedness to reason the SIR,” said a connection from the campaign. 

Demands reiterated

The run members further urged the authorities to measure options to conduct elections done insubstantial ballots successful Karnataka, signifier a squad of ineligible experts and activists to travel up with strategy to forestall the implementation of SIR in the State, and organise efforts to guarantee ward-level and panchayat-level assistance desks to assist voters.