Hariprasad asks Congress cadre to safeguard voters during SIR exercise

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B.K. Hariprasad on Sunday (June 28) urged party leaders and workers to ensure that no eligible voter’s name is deleted from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the rolls, which begins across the State on Tuesday (June 30).

Addressing a divisional-level awareness programme on the SIR exercise, organised by the Congress in Mysuru, Mr. Hariprasad described voting as the most important democratic right of citizens.

“Voting is the only opportunity people get once every five years to elect the government of their choice. No eligible voter should lose this right in the name of electoral roll revision. Protecting the right to vote is essential to safeguarding the Constitution and democracy,” he said.

‘Congress Nadey Nimma Mata Rakshane Kade’

He said the Congress had launched the campaign ‘Congress Nadey Nimma Mata Rakshane Kade’ (Congress marches towards protecting your vote) and appealed to party workers and leaders to actively participate in the house-to-house enumeration scheduled from June 30 to July 29.

Mr. Hariprasad clarified that the Congress was not opposed to the deletion of names of deceased persons or voters whose names appear in electoral rolls at multiple locations. However, he alleged that the party opposed the deletion of names on caste and other grounds.

Referring to similar electoral roll revision exercises in West Bengal and Bihar, he urged party workers to remain vigilant throughout the process and protect the voting rights of genuine electors.

Mr. Hariprasad accused the BJP of employing various tactics to win elections and cited the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh as an example.