Coalition urges to suspend SIR in the State till SC verdict

Coalition demands suspension of Karnataka's SIR until SC verdict, citing concerns over opaque mapping and pressure on officials.

Members of the coalition ‘My Vote, My Right’ submitted a memorandum to V. Anbukumar, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, raising concerns about the ongoing mapping exercise, taking place in preparation for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The letter has demanded that the rolling out of SIR in the State should be suspended until the Supreme Court delivers a verdict on the various pending cases challenging the SIR.

The members alleged that the mapping exercise is being conducted in a hasty and opaque manner, with Booth Level Officials (BLOs) facing extreme pressure to meet targets within unrealistic deadlines.

“The BLOs have received no written instructions, special training, guidelines or circulars specifying how the mapping of voter rolls must be done. We learnt that the only communication they were given were instructional videos shared in WhatsApp groups made for the coordination between the BLOs. Such a significant exercise which will undoubtedly affect lakhs of voters of Karnataka cannot be conducted without clear written protocols and guidelines from the State’s election authorities. The absence of clearly defined procedures is leading to misuse of power, arbitrariness and inaccuracies in the implementation of the mapping exercise,” the letter read.

The coalition has urged the CEO to take measures to publicise information about the mapping of the electoral rolls and carry out a wider campaign with the help of the local bodies and the media to ensure that all the genuine voters are included in the mapping exercise.

The letter also suggested adding “Relationship” option instead of “Progeny” on the Mapping App, thereby allowing the daughter-in-law to be included in the family.