4.16 mn SIR notices delivered in K’taka; CM backs call for CEC to resign

Karnataka's Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has expressed support for the demand to dismiss Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Simultaneously, the state's ongoing electoral roll revision has reached a critical juncture, with 4.163 million notices already dispatched to eligible voters. Shivakumar affirmed that the revision process is necessary, yet criticized its possible misuse for political gain, emphasizing that all eligible voters should be safeguarded from exclusion.

Acknowledging national opposition's contemplation of an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner, Shivakumar affirmed their right to voice their apprehensions. In Karnataka, out of 43,82,296 notices generated for voters classified under 'No Mapping' and 'Anomalies', 41,63,368 have been distributed, leaving 2,18,928 yet to be delivered, representing a delivery rate of 95%.

The state electoral roll currently encompasses 4,48,44,080 voters. It was revealed that inquiries related to 28,80,882 notices have been finalized, accounting for 69.20% of the total notices issued. Further 12,82,486 inquiries remain unresolved. The revision has also led to the submission of 19,48,164 applications via various forms, including 7,70,988 Form 6 requests for name additions, 4,551 Form 6A requests, 61,130 Form 7 requests for name deletions and 11,11,495 Form 8 applications.

The final hearing for the revision process is set for October 12, and the deadline for concluding the notice process and handling claims or objections is October 22. Political parties have requested the Chief Electoral Officer's office to publish the list of voters who received notices under 'No Mapping' and 'Anomalies' categories.

In Belagavi, Congress leaders have accused BJP-connected men of abusing bulk Form 7 applications to target minority voters at a polling station in Veerabhadra Nagar. The officials involved allegedly asked a Booth Level Officer to sign about 200 Form 7 applications, falsely labeling the voters as 'bogus'. The Deputy Commissioner of Belagavi denied any deletion of voters based on the objections submitted at the polling station.

Disputes arose when state Congress president BK Hariprasad alleged that BJP MLA Abhay Patil had requested deletion of roughly 2,500 voters' names, accusing the requests of targeting minority voters. Patil refuted these accusations, stating he only requested verification of a report submitted by the Booth Level Agent.