Anti-SIR coalition urges Karnataka government to reject final SIR voter list, calls for social audit and public hearings

Updated - October 28, 2026 08:31 pm IST - Bengaluru

Activist Noor Sridhar during a press meet against the SIR in Bengaluru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

SIR-Virodhi Karnataka, a Karnataka-based coalition, has urged the State government to reject the final voters’ list prepared through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

Instead, a social audit, public hearings and public scrutiny of the exercise should be conducted, demanded Noor Sridhar, a leader of the Anti-SIR Coalition. He was addressing the media a day after the final electoral roll in Karnataka was published following the SIR exercise.

Mr. Sridhar, apart from demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar, said the alleged irregularities in the SIR process, claims that eligible voters had been excluded from the electoral rolls, and the impact on voting rights must be taken seriously. He urged the State government not to treat the list published by the Election Commission as final without verifying its credibility through public participation.

“For the upcoming local body elections in the State, the previous voters’ list should be used as the basis instead of the list prepared through SIR,” he demanded.

When the final list was published in Karnataka on Tuesday, 99.32 lakh names were deleted from the State’s electoral rolls. This meant that out of the 5.54 crore voters in Karnataka’s 2025 voter list, only 4.5 crore names remained in the final voters’ list.

“According to official government projections for 2026, the population of voters aged 18 and above in Karnataka is 5.19 crore. Furthermore, migration into Karnataka has been higher than migration out of the State. Given this, it is unacceptable to claim that Karnataka’s total voters are only 4.5 crore,” the coalition said, while also questioning the sharp decline in the number of voters in Bengaluru as reflected in the final list.

The coalition also raised questions about alleged wrongful deletions, reports of alleged attempts by BJP members to submit Form 7 applications in bulk, and the immense pressure on BLOs, among other issues.

“INDIA bloc is holding a protest against SIR on November 1. Taking this forward, the coalition will hold protests during the Assembly session starting on November 26,” Mr. Sridhar announced.

Published - October 28, 2026 08:19 pm IST

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