Prakash Raj announces 'Election Commission Chalo' protest over voter deletions
Prakash Raj and civil society groups announce a September 1 protest in Bengaluru against the electoral roll revision, citing flaws and planning a court challenge.
Actor-filmmaker Prakash Raj on Tuesday announced that civil society organisations in Karnataka will hold an 'Election Commission Chalo' campaign in Bengaluru on September 1, opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The groups have also planned to approach the courts seeking a stay on the exercise.
Speaking at a press conference, Raj questioned the process of selecting the Election Commission, alleging it was undemocratic. He noted that with two members from the ruling party and only one from the opposition, the balance was skewed. He also criticised the government's decision to grant judicial immunity to the Election Commission, saying it made the body unaccountable.
Raj expressed concern over the deletion of voters marked as absent or permanently shifted, arguing that they should be given a fair chance to establish their eligibility rather than being asked to re-enrol through Form 6. He also questioned the urgency of the exercise, pointing out that Karnataka still has two years before elections.
The announcement comes after the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer published the draft electoral roll following the SIR-2026 exercise. The enumeration was carried out between June 30 and August 17, 2026, through house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers.
According to the CEO's office, the draft roll includes a total of 4,46,35,975 electors, comprising 2,24,73,864 female voters, 2,21,59,240 male voters, and 2,871 third-gender electors. It also includes 44,176 service electors and 3,70,341 young voters in the 18-19 age group.
During the enumeration, 1,07,96,339 entries (19.48 per cent of total entries) were identified under the ASDDO categories – Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate, and Others. The remaining 4.46 crore electors were retained as the active voter base. However, 20.35 lakh electors were flagged for anomalies, and 23.45 lakh voters were placed under the NoMapping category. Together, over 43.8 lakh voters will be issued notices and required to submit responses to confirm their eligibility.
The qualifying date for the revision is October 1, 2026. The period for filing claims and objections runs from August 24 to September 23, 2026, with the final electoral roll to be published on October 27, 2026. The CEO's office has urged citizens to verify their details in the draft roll and submit claims or objections within the timeframe.