Bengaluru, October 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday accused the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) of conspiring to remove around 50 lakh eligible voters from the state’s electoral rolls through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He called on the Election Commission to investigate the allegations and initiate legal action against those responsible.
Addressing a press conference at his official home office, Krishna, Shivakumar alleged that BJP and JD(S) leaders and workers had submitted pre-filled Form 7 applications to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in several Assembly constituencies, seeking the deletion of voters’ names.
He claimed that 1.07 crore voter names had already been excluded during the SIR exercise in Karnataka and that notices had been issued to 45 lakh voters. Despite this, he alleged, a further attempt was underway to remove around 50 lakh names.
Shivakumar said more than 1,600 applications had allegedly been submitted in Babaleshwar, 14,000 in Vijayapura and 3,244 in Bhalki. He also cited similar alleged activity in Narasimharajapura, Belagavi and other constituencies, with some areas reportedly seeing attempts to delete between 5,000 and 10,000 voters.
The Chief Minister alleged that the applications could disproportionately affect eligible voters from minority communities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections. He described the alleged activity as a criminal conspiracy and claimed it could undermine communal harmony.
Shivakumar said members of a civil society group led by actor Prakash Raj had visited polling stations and gathered information about the applications. He also alleged that some BJP workers had submitted applications in their own names and that workers in certain places had admitted to mistakes.
Questioning how the pre-filled forms were being prepared and distributed, Shivakumar urged the Election Commission to identify those involved, register FIRs and conduct a comprehensive investigation. He said the state government was committed to protecting every eligible citizen’s voting rights and that the police would investigate the allegations.
The Chief Minister announced that he would lead a delegation of ministers to the State Election Commission to submit a memorandum seeking immediate action. He warned that the ministers would stage a sit-in at the Commission’s office until appropriate steps were taken.
Shivakumar also renewed his demand for cancellation of the SIR, describing the exercise as a “major fraud”. He questioned how the alleged activity could take place without the knowledge of the Chief Electoral Officer, while noting that the state government had extended cooperation to the Election Commission and appointed 54,000 BLA-2 representatives.
He called for action against anyone found to have pressured BLOs or attempted to unlawfully remove eligible voters. The allegations against the BJP and JD(S) were made by Shivakumar and were not independently established in the statements provided.
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