Opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday, raising objections to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The demonstration brought together leaders and representatives of several opposition parties, including the Congress, as part of their ongoing campaign for electoral transparency and accountability. The protest followed the alliance’s November 1 gathering at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, where opposition leaders had raised similar concerns.
Congress and INDIA Bloc Leaders Raise Electoral Concerns
The Bengaluru demonstration was organised as part of the opposition alliance’s effort to take its campaign against SIR to different parts of the country.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president B.K. Hariprasad had earlier announced the protest, explaining that the campaign would extend beyond major political gatherings to district, taluk and block levels.
Representatives of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Forward Bloc and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), along with Congress leaders, were also associated with the protest initiative.
The participating parties called for greater transparency in electoral procedures and accountability in the administration of voter registration.
Opposition Demands Changes to the SIR Process
The Special Intensive Revision is an Election Commission exercise intended to review and update electoral rolls.
However, INDIA bloc parties have raised concerns that the process could lead to eligible voters being excluded from electoral lists. They have demanded that the current SIR exercise be withdrawn and that safeguards be strengthened to protect voters’ rights.
Opposition representatives have also questioned the appointment procedure for the Chief Election Commissioner.
CPI(M) Karnataka secretary K. Prakash raised concerns about the selection mechanism and called for a more democratic process. The opposition has additionally demanded the withdrawal of the legal provision concerning immunity for the Chief Election Commissioner.
These demands form part of the alliance’s wider objections to the existing electoral framework.
Campaign to Extend Beyond Bengaluru
The November 5 demonstration is connected to the INDIA bloc’s broader plan to organise protests across different regions.
Karnataka Congress leaders have indicated that the campaign will be taken to district and taluk levels to bring electoral issues into wider public discussion.
The alliance’s continuing campaign has placed the SIR exercise, voter-list transparency and the appointment of election officials at the centre of its political agenda.
With opposition parties continuing to raise these concerns, the debate over electoral roll revisions and the functioning of the Election Commission remains an important issue in Indian politics.
