Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi clarifies, says his SIR remarks were misinterpreted

The BJP seized on Jarkiholi’s remarks to say the Congress is contradicting Rahul Gandhi’s opposition to SIR

Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi on Friday clarified that his remarks appearing to endorse the electoral roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were misinterpreted, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used them to attack Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the party’s opposition to the exercise.

Jarkiholi maintained his point was that the BJP’s conspiracy to remove Congress-supporting voters in Karnataka using Form 7, a tactic observed in other states as well, was successfully thwarted. “This was achieved through the efforts of our national leader, Rahul Gandhi, and under the guidance of the Honourable Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar. I did not, however, imply that the SIR process itself is correct or valid,” he said.

The clarification came after Jarkiholi remarks on Wednesday appeared to distinguish Karnataka’s SIR exercise from those conducted in other states. His comments were interpreted as an endorsement of the process in Karnataka, amid Congress’s protests against the alleged irregularities in the process and demands for chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal.

When asked about the party’s protests, Jarkiholi said: “What we are talking about is not [SIR] in Karnataka, but elsewhere like West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar.” He said the SIR in Karnataka was done in the right manner because of their protests and training. “We argue that it should happen in the same manner in other states.”

Asked about the deletion of nearly 10 million names from Karnataka’s electoral roll, he replied: “Yes, these are voters who shifted, died or were duplicates.”

The BJP seized on the remarks to accuse the Congress of contradicting Rahul Gandhi’s opposition to SIR. In a post on X, the party said Jarkiholi defended the Karnataka exercise and justified the removal of nearly 10 million names on grounds that voters were dead, had relocated or were duplicates.

“Congress leaders are increasingly contradicting Rahul Gandhi’s anti-SIR stand. Karnataka Cabinet Minister Satish Jarkiholi defended Karnataka’s SIR process, justifying deletions of nearly one crore names, citing duplicate, deceased and relocated voters,” the BJP said.

“The message is clear: even Congress leaders recognise the need for a clean voter roll, exposing Rahul Gandhi’s anti-democratic politics.”

On Friday, Jarkiholi reiterated that in Karnataka, they successfully countered the attempt to delete the names of eligible voters via Form 7. “My stance against any attempt to deprive eligible voters of their rights has always been firm. I strongly oppose any efforts to illegally remove the names of eligible voters from the electoral rolls.”

He said he stands firmly with their leader, Rahul Gandhi, in protecting democratic values and the right to vote. Jarkiholi appealed to people not to interpret his earlier remarks as support for the SIR process.

Arun Dev is an Assistant Editor with the Karnataka bureau of Hindustan Times. A journalist for over 10 years, he has written extensively on crime and politics.