Karnataka CM to lead Delhi protest over alleged voter roll deletions

Karnataka's Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said Wednesday that he and all Congress Members of the Legislative Assembly will travel to Delhi to stage a protest against the Special Integrated Review (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party has alleged that approximately one crore voters have been deleted from the state's electoral registers without proper verification procedures.

Shivakumar characterized the mass deletion as a serious breach of electoral protocol and democratic principles. According to the Congress, the affected voters were removed from the rolls without following due diligence or providing adequate opportunity for grievance redressal to those impacted.

The proposed march represents an escalation of the party's campaign against what it views as a threat to voter rights and electoral integrity. The party has termed the process irregular and has called for a comprehensive review of deletions made during the SIR exercise.

The planned Delhi protest underscores growing tensions between the Congress-led government in Karnataka and the electoral processes overseen at the national level. The party's decision to mobilize its entire legislative contingent signals the seriousness with which Congress leadership views the voter deletion issue in the state.