Hariprasad warns Congress workers against complacency during voter revision exercise
Mangaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president B.K. Hariprasad on Tuesday urged party leaders and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to remain vigilant during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the process could be misused to remove genuine voters from the rolls.
Addressing a public awareness programme on SIR at Kudmul Ranga Rao Town Hall in Mangaluru, Hariprasad said any negligence during the voter revision exercise could have serious consequences for democracy and constitutional values.
“If we show any carelessness during the comprehensive voter revision process, it will shake the Constitution,” he said.
Hariprasad accused the BJP and the RSS of attempting to use the revision exercise to exclude genuine voters. Referring to his experience as the Congress party's election in-charge in West Bengal, he alleged that similar efforts had been made there.
He claimed that a large number of voters had been marked as suspicious during the electoral process and alleged that the BJP was attempting to influence voter lists for political gain.
Calling upon BLAs to actively participate in the revision process, Hariprasad said they should accompany Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during field visits and ensure that the names of genuine voters are not omitted from the electoral rolls.
He also urged party workers to identify voters whose names may not have been mapped and assist them in completing the required formalities.
Hariprasad further alleged that minority communities, including Muslims and Christians, as well as tribal and nomadic groups, could face difficulties during the voter verification process if adequate safeguards are not ensured.
He said India's freedom struggle was fought to preserve the country's pluralistic character and stressed the importance of protecting democratic values and equal representation for all communities.
Former Legislative Council Chairman and Congress SIR Awareness Committee State President V.R. Sudarshan also addressed the gathering. He said protecting the voting rights of genuine citizens was essential for strengthening democracy and urged party workers to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded without valid reasons.
Sudarshan said the Election Commission had sought various documents as part of the voter revision exercise and asked party workers to assist voters in providing the required information to officials.
He also alleged that attempts were being made to keep Congress supporters and sympathisers out of the voter list and called upon party workers to remain alert throughout the process.
After the inaugural session, an interaction programme was held with BLAs.
Health Minister U.T. Khader, former ministers Abhayachandra Jain and Mankal Vaidya, along with J.R. Lobo, Jayaprakash Hegde, B. Ibrahim, Inayat Ali, Mithun Rai and other Congress leaders, were present.