Prakash Raj, Tamil actor and political commentator, also presented a public awareness programme against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Vijayapura, saying that this would result in the removal of genuine voters from the electoral list. The programme was organized by the SIR Awareness and Voter Watch Committee at Ambedkar Circle in Vijayapura.
Several people who claimed that their names had been removed from the electoral rolls approached Prakash Raj and voiced their concerns. Some of them claimed that even though they were alive, records of them were marked as dead and their names were deleted from the voter list.
Prakash Raj made a strong attack on the BJP-led central government in the gathering and criticised PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for the SIR exercise.
Prakash Raj claimed that the process could lead to uncertainty for a large number of voters in Karnataka. Around 1.08 crore voters could be affected or face concerns because of the ongoing revision exercise. He also questioned whether Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had properly visited households and verified voters' details.
Prakash Raj said people who are alive have been shown as deceased in electoral records. He said such mistakes would lead to genuine voters losing their voting rights if the necessary verification and correction mechanisms are not properly implemented.
He also referred to electoral roll revision-related controversies in states such as Bihar and West Bengal, saying investigations and tribunals have been required to examine cases of deleted voter names.
Prakash Raj questions Election Commission
Prakash Raj also criticised the Election Commission over the implementation of SIR and questioned the process being followed to verify voters. He made strong accusations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He also claimed that Form 7, which is used to raise objections to names in electoral rolls, is being misused in Karnataka. Some BJP leaders and youth wing members are allegedly misusing the provision to seek deletion of voters' names.
Prakash Raj told us that the misuse of the process had been raised with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. "We need to be very vigilant, and citizens should check their names and electoral details," he said.
Attack on BJP and Modi-Shah
During his speech, Prakash Raj accused the BJP leadership of trying to exclude sections of society from the electoral process. Tribal communities, Dalits and Muslims would be at risk of losing their voting rights if electoral roll reforms are not taken properly.
He also launched a political attack on Modi and Amit Shah, calling them two powerful political players and questioning their motives behind electoral roll revision.
Prakash Raj said that political developments after the BJP's decline from its earlier target of crossing 400 seats had increased political concerns. He also referred to the role of regional leaders like Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in national politics.
He claimed that Karnataka would not be allowed to face a situation similar to what he described as controversies around electoral roll revisions in West Bengal.
'Protect Constitution and democracy'
Prakash Raj also claimed that the SIR process was being used as a means to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC), an allegation that would need to be confirmed by an official body.
He said the ruling establishment was trying to undermine democratic institutions and citizens should oppose any move that could undermine voting rights.
Prakash Raj urged people to check their voter details and participate in the campaign against what he said were irregularities in the SIR process.
He said the battle was about protecting the Constitution, democracy and citizens’ voting rights. It’s important to keep people vigilant from the beginning and not have names put on electoral rolls that are not being accurately done, he said.
The Vijayapura programme therefore became a platform for Prakash Raj and supporters of the voter awareness campaign to bring up SIR, voter verification and alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision process. The allegations at the event are political in nature and will be independently verified by the Election Commission and other competent bodies.
