Ahead of Karnataka SIR, Congress seeks printed copies of 2002 electoral rolls from EC

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Reports of mass voter deletions in other states during SIR had set the alarm bells ringing for the Congress unit in Karnataka. (PTI File Photo)Days before the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Karnataka, the state Congress unit has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide printed copies of the 2002 electoral rolls.In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer on June 8, Ramesh Babu, MLC and Chairman of the KPCC Media and Communication Department, requested three sets of documents.The first was the electoral rolls of 2002 for all Assembly constituencies in the state; the latest Assembly-wise electoral rolls as of 2025, “including all supplements, additions, deletions and corrections published up to date”; and instructions, guidelines, and notifications issued regarding the SIR process.Also Read | Karnataka Congress sets up SIR monitoring panel ahead of electoral roll revisionBabu said the records were required for “reference purposes, comparative verification of voter details and effective participation by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and its authorised representatives in the SIR process.” He said that access to the records will help the party identify omissions, duplications and other discrepancies.“As electoral rolls are public documents and recognised political parties play an important role in ensuring the accuracy of voter registration, we request that the above records be supplied free of cost to the KPCC in the larger public interest and in the interest of free and fair elections,” he added.Reports of mass voter deletions in other states during SIR had set the alarm bells ringing for the Congress unit in Karnataka. Last week of May, the Karnataka Congress announced observers for the SIR monitoring committees at the state and district levels.They were announced after the party held deliberations for two days regarding SIR and the upcoming polls for the five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority.