INDIA bloc plans massive Bengaluru protest against SIR on November 5

The Karnataka unit of the INDIA bloc has announced a major protest in Bengaluru on November 5 against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demanding that the exercise be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.

The decision was taken at a meeting of alliance partners held at the Legislators’ House in Bengaluru on Friday, chaired by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B.K. Hariprasad. The meeting also decided to mobilise alliance partners for a protest at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on November 1.

The alliance has adopted the slogan “Save the Vote, Save the Country” and plans to extend its campaign to districts and taluks across Karnataka. A coordination committee comprising representatives of the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, Samajwadi Party, Forward Bloc and other INDIA bloc partners will prepare an action plan for the statewide campaign.

Hariprasad alleged that around 13 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls across the country and called for the restoration of eligible voters’ names. He said the bloc would oppose any process that could deprive citizens of their voting rights.

The meeting was attended by leaders and representatives of several alliance parties, including AICC secretary Gopinath Palaniappan, CPI(M) state secretary K. Prakash and CPI state secretary Sathi Sundaresh.

The INDIA bloc’s planned protests come amid opposition criticism of the SIR exercise, which the Election Commission says is intended to update electoral rolls and remove ineligible or duplicate entries. Opposition parties have raised concerns over transparency and the possible exclusion of eligible voters.