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Congress Raises Concerns Over Karnataka Voter Roll Revision
Congress leader K C Venugopal said his party is watching a voter-list review in Karnataka very carefully.
This review is called a Special Intensive Revision, or SIR.
He said many names had been removed from the voter list and questioned whether all the removals were correct.
He claimed that about 23 per cent of Karnataka’s voters had been deleted.
He also accused the Election Commission and the central government of allowing unfair election practices.
The reports do not include a response from the Election Commission or the central government to these accusations.
Congress asked government workers and party representatives to help protect a fair process.
Venugopal also discussed party organization, a UPI merchant charge, and the use of Vande Mataram at official events.
K C Venugopal said Congress is closely monitoring Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
He questioned the genuineness of deletions, claiming about 23 per cent of Karnataka’s voters were removed.
Venugopal accused the Election Commission and BJP-led Centre of enabling election manipulation, allegations not addressed in the reports.
Congress urged officials to ensure a free and fair revision process, with ministers and MLAs told to participate actively.
Venugopal also criticized the Centre’s 0.4 per cent UPI merchant charge and defended limiting Vande Mataram to two stanzas at official events.
- Who
- K C Venugopal and Congress leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, D K Shivakumar and B K Hariprasad.
- What
- Congress expressed concern about deletions during the Special Intensive Revision of Karnataka’s electoral rolls.
- Where
- Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- When
- Wednesday, identified in one report as September 16.
- Why
- Venugopal said the scale of deletions and the Election Commission’s handling of opposition complaints raised concerns about election fairness.
Congress’s concerns
Official response not included
Voter deletions
Congress’s concerns
Congress questioned whether the deletions were genuine and said their scale raised concerns about possible election malpractice.
Official response not included
The reports provide no response from the Election Commission or the central government addressing the allegations.
Election Commission
Congress’s concerns
Venugopal accused the Election Commission of joining other agencies allegedly being used against the BJP’s opponents and said it had not responded to some complaints or hearing requests.
Official response not included
The reports do not include the Election Commission’s explanation of its actions or response to the complaints.
UPI merchant charge
Congress’s concerns
Venugopal called the 0.4 per cent charge on specified UPI merchant payments above Rs 2,000 a new tax that could burden consumers.
Official response not included
No response from the central government or other officials about the charge is provided in the reports.
Key facts
- Electoral-roll exercise
- Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Karnataka.
- Claimed deletions
- Venugopal said around 23 per cent of Karnataka’s total voters had been deleted.
- West Bengal claim
- Venugopal alleged that about 50 lakh voters were deleted in West Bengal before elections.
- Congress response
- The party said it would remain vigilant and instructed ministers and MLAs to participate actively.
- Organizational review
- Karnataka district Congress committee presidents are to be assessed after six months.
- UPI charge
- Venugopal criticized a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate on specified UPI payments above Rs 2,000 to merchants.
- Vande Mataram
- Venugopal defended Karnataka’s decision to limit the song to two stanzas at official events.
Quotes
K C Venugopal
AICC General Secretary and Congress national organisation in charge
“We had a meeting regarding Special Intensive Revision in Karnataka. BJP is fighting against us using CBI, ED, IT, and now unfortunately the Election Commission of India has joined the list, too. The number of votes being deleted in Karnataka is somewhat surprising; around 23 per cent of total voters have been deleted from the voter list.”
theprint.in
deccanchronicle.com
“Our party today took a very serious note. I’m requesting the CM, who is here, as state government officers are deployed as BLOs—we don’t want any undue favouritism from the commission or officials or agencies. We want a free and fair play from the Election Commission of India.”
theprint.in
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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