Bengaluru, July 4 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP on Saturday submitted an official memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka, alleging serious procedural irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding immediate intervention by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to safeguard the integrity of the voter verification process.

The memorandum was submitted by Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, senior MLA S. Suresh Kumar, and other senior party leaders.

In the memorandum, the BJP alleged that the implementation of the SIR exercise across Karnataka had witnessed severe procedural deviations and systemic irregularities, raising concerns among elected representatives, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), party workers, and members of the public over the transparency, consistency and credibility of the electoral roll revision process.

The party expressed concern over the simultaneous implementation of the statewide SIR exercise and a parallel electoral revision process in 27 wards under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

According to the memorandum, the parallel exercise has created confusion among electors, BLOs, political representatives and field officials regarding the applicable verification methodology and the authority responsible for implementation.

The BJP urged the Chief Electoral Officer to immediately examine the continuation of the parallel exercise and issue appropriate directions to ensure that only one uniform electoral roll revision process is followed across the state.

The memorandum further alleged that the Election Commission’s mandatory house-to-house verification process was being diluted in several places through centralised camps conducted in community halls and other public locations.

It said the Commission had specifically mandated door-to-door verification to identify duplicate voters, deceased persons, those who had permanently shifted their residence, and other ineligible entries in the electoral rolls.

According to the BJP, conducting verification through centralised camps defeats the objective of an intensive revision as it prevents proper verification of an elector’s ordinary place of residence. The party claimed this increases the possibility of erroneous inclusions and omissions in the electoral rolls while reducing the reliability of the verification process.

The memorandum also alleged that Booth Level Officers were being sidelined and denied the opportunity to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently. Instead of empowering BLOs to conduct field verification, the state administrative machinery was allegedly adopting procedures that dilute the sanctity of the SIR exercise, it said.

The BJP further claimed that in several locations the SIR process was being conducted in mosques, community centres, Kalyana Mandapas, and at the offices and residences of MLAs instead of designated locations.

The memorandum stated that details relating to alleged irregularities in the Yeshwanthpur and K.R. Puram Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru, along with supporting photographs and video evidence, had been enclosed for verification and necessary action.

Expressing concern over the purity of the electoral rolls, the BJP alleged that the prescribed door-to-door verification process was being diluted, creating a risk of enrolling ineligible persons, including illegal immigrants and others not entitled to be registered as electors under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The party claimed any such inclusion would seriously compromise the sanctity of the electoral register.

Referring to Article 324 of the Constitution, the memorandum said the Election Commission has a constitutional obligation to ensure that electoral roll revision remains transparent, impartial, verifiable, equitable and free from executive interference. It argued that any large-scale deviation from the Commission’s prescribed procedures warranted immediate examination and corrective action.

The BJP also requested the deployment of independent observers wherever necessary and sought binding directions to all electoral authorities to strictly follow the Election Commission’s prescribed procedures throughout the ongoing revision exercise.

Among its key demands, the party urged the Election Commission to institute an immediate inquiry into the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision across Karnataka, ascertain whether mandatory house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers was being replaced by camp-based verification, determine whether BLOs were being allowed to function independently in accordance with the Commission’s directives, and ensure that no ineligible individual, including illegal migrants or non-citizens, is entered in the electoral rolls.

The memorandum concluded by urging the Election Commission to take immediate measures to ensure that the Special Intensive Revision in Karnataka is conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Commission’s own instructions, stating that the accuracy of the electoral rolls is fundamental to the conduct of free and fair democratic elections.

–IANS

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