Bengaluru, Oct 2 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday welcomed the Election Commission of India’s direction to state election authorities to conduct a special drive to identify and enrol eligible voters left out after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), terming it a “victory” for voters across the country.
The ECI has directed poll officials in states and Union Territories where SIR has been completed to undertake a special drive for left-out and first-time eligible voters. It has also directed electoral authorities to facilitate enrolment through the regular electoral roll updation process.
Talking to reporters near Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said the directive came after the Congress-led protest before the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s office on Thursday.
“We welcome the order issued by the Election Commission. This is not just a victory for the Congress and the government. It is a victory for Karnataka and the voters of the entire country, and a victory against attempts to deprive eligible voters of their rights,” he said.
Shivakumar said the Election Commission had also taken note of complaints regarding bulk deletion applications and directed election authorities to examine such complaints.
He said the authorities had been instructed to organise special camps for the enrolment of first-time voters and ensure that Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Chief Electoral Officers and District Election Officers followed the prescribed procedures for Forms 6 and 7.
He also said booth-level camps should be organised to facilitate applications, including for people living in night shelters, labourers, homeless persons, and other vulnerable groups. The ECI has separately announced special enrolment measures for voters left out during SIR and for young and first-time eligible electors.
Shivakumar alleged that BJP representatives had submitted applications seeking deletion of votes belonging to weaker sections of society.
“It is shameful. Their intention is to create a divide among communities, castes and religions. Their objective is to get Dalit and minority votes deleted,” he alleged.
On the BJP’s protest over the issue, Shivakumar said BJP leaders had themselves acknowledged submitting around 25,000 applications and accused them of admitting to what he described as a “criminal conspiracy”.
He demanded that appropriate action be taken against those responsible, while saying that any complaint against him should also be investigated if there was evidence of wrongdoing.
Shivakumar said the BJP should have sought to win elections by winning the confidence of the people instead of attempting to influence electoral rolls.
“BJP leaders could have won the hearts of the people and faced elections. Instead, they have resorted to the criminal act of trying to delete votes,” he said.
He said protecting the voting rights of citizens was his responsibility as Chief Minister.
“Voting rights are linked to the right of people to live with dignity. Therefore, this is not a victory of D.K. Shivakumar; it is a victory of voters across the country,” he said.
Shivakumar also credited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls for the developments.
He said Congress had been raising the issue from the beginning and that citizen groups and activists had travelled across the state, collected data and submitted reports on alleged irregularities. He added that he had independently examined some of the information.
“It is my duty as Chief Minister to protect the vote of every citizen of Karnataka and safeguard constitutional institutions,” he said.
Shivakumar also urged the media to ensure that the issue received wider public attention and called for a national-level discussion on protecting voters’ rights.
The ECI’s actions come amid a controversy over bulk Form-7 applications in Karnataka. On Thursday, following Shivakumar’s protest, Karnataka CEO V. Anbukumar directed election officials to initiate action against applicants found to have knowingly furnished false information, subject to the prescribed inquiry process.
–IANS
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