Karnataka: MoS Karandlaje seeks ECI probe into SIR, alleges violations of ECI guidelines

Bengaluru: Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment and MSME Shobha Karandlaje on Friday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to order an inquiry into the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, alleging large-scale violations of the poll panel's guidelines.

In a letter to the ECI, the Bengaluru North MP said the manner in which the exercise was being conducted had raised concerns among elected representatives, booth-level officers (BLOs), political workers and the public over the integrity and transparency of the electoral roll revision process.

Karandlaje alleged that, instead of carrying out the mandatory door-to-door verification prescribed by the ECI, the SIR exercise was being conducted through camps organised at community halls and other public places.


"Such a practice defeats the very objective of an intensive revision, which is to physically verify every elector at his or her ordinary place of residence," she said.

She also claimed that BLOs were not being allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently and alleged that the state administrative machinery had adopted procedures that diluted the revision process.

Karandlaje further alleged that the state government was misusing the administrative machinery for political purposes and warned that the absence of effective house-to-house verification could result in the inclusion of ineligible persons, including illegal immigrants, in the electoral rolls.

She urged the ECI to examine whether mandatory field verification by BLOs had been replaced by camp-based verification, ascertain whether election officials were being allowed to function independently, and ensure that no ineligible person or non-citizen was included in the electoral rolls.

The Union minister also sought deployment of independent observers and directions to election authorities in Karnataka to strictly adhere to the procedures prescribed by the ECI.

"The Election Commission must ensure that the Special Intensive Revision in Karnataka is conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and its own guidelines," she said.