The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), along with various social organisations, held a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday, demanding the withdrawal of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restoration of voter lists to their pre-revision status.
Thousands of people gathered at the venue, where actor-activist Prakash Raj, CJP founder Abhijeeth Deepke, filmmaker and activist Kavita Lankesh and other public figures joined the demonstration. The protesters also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the revision exercise had adversely affected genuine voters.
Addressing the gathering, speakers raised concerns about the transparency and accountability of the SIR process, arguing that electoral roll revisions had implications for citizens’ voting rights beyond political affiliations.
Participants questioned reported changes and deletions in electoral rolls across several states, including West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Goa. They called on the Election Commission to disclose detailed information about the methodology adopted for the exercise and the reasons behind the removal of names.
Some protesters alleged that voters had been excluded from electoral rolls without adequate notice or transparency and called for corrective action to ensure that eligible citizens were not deprived of their voting rights.
Prakash Raj questioned the independence of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and criticised the manner in which the SIR exercise was being conducted.
A key feature of the demonstration was a “People’s Tribunal”, where organisers provided voters from Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka an opportunity to share their experiences concerning the alleged deletion of names from electoral rolls without prior notice or due procedure.
The protesters demanded that the Election Commission address these grievances and take immediate steps to rectify any wrongful exclusions. Their demands included greater public disclosure of data relating to the revision exercise.
Security was tightened around Freedom Park and along routes leading to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Bengaluru. Police personnel and barricades were deployed to maintain law and order during the demonstration.
The protest adds to the ongoing debate over the SIR exercise, with critics seeking greater transparency in electoral roll revisions and safeguards to protect eligible voters.
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