Pralhad Joshi alleges violations during SIR in Karnataka

Hubballi: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has accused officials of violating Election Commission norms during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, alleging that the verification exercise in Hubballi-Dharwad was not being conducted according to prescribed procedures.

Addressing the issue through a post on social media, Joshi claimed that another case of alleged irregularities had emerged in Hubballi-Dharwad East Assembly constituency following similar accusations from Ramanagara and Shiggaon-Savanur. He shared videos which he claimed showed Enumeration Forms being processed collectively rather than through house-to-house verification.

According to the Union Minister, the alleged incident occurred at Booth No. 16 in Ward No. 63, where Booth Level Officer Mary Ramachandra Harapanahalli was allegedly completing voter verification forms at one location instead of visiting voters’ residences. He claimed BJP’s Booth Level Agents documented the alleged irregularities after receiving complaints from local residents.

Joshi alleged that officials were bypassing the Election Commission‘s mandatory guidelines requiring Booth Level Officers to personally visit every household during the revision process. He claimed that such actions were taking place in several parts of the state and alleged that common venues, including religious and community buildings, were being used for processing forms.

Calling the developments a serious threat to the integrity of the electoral process, Joshi alleged that constitutional procedures were being compromised for political gain. He demanded that the Election Commission immediately intervene, conduct an independent investigation and initiate legal action against officials found violating election rules.

The BJP leader further urged the poll panel to ensure that the voter list revision is carried out strictly in accordance with Election Commission guidelines so that the credibility of the electoral process remains intact.