A ‘Karnataka Declaration’, adopted at an anti-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) convention organised by a coalition of organisations at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, on Thursday April 23, has said that the process should not be allowed to continue in Karnataka until the irregularities are reviewed and the Supreme Court proceedings are concluded.
The declaration urged the government not to rush a hasty SIR, extend the process period, and to “open voting assistance centers in all Gram Panchayats and wards.” It requested the government to extend the SIR appeal period from three to six months.
Chants of "Down with SIR” echoed across Freedom Park in Bengaluru, where around 100 people gathered to protest the SIR process and to express solidarity with voters in West Bengal which witnessed mass deletions.
“We have gathered to give a clear warning to the Government of India and the Election Commission. We stand entirely with the people of West Bengal,” said Veerasangayya, working president of the Karnataka State Farmers Association. The true root of democracy lies in the people's vote, he said.
Activist Noor Sridhar said the forces in power at the Centre have started an Ashwamedha Yaga to capture states. Recalling the 2024 elections, in which the BJP failed to win a majority on its own, he said “we must tie this Ashwamedha horse here in Karnataka.”
“If our constitutional rights are snatched, we will take to the streets,” Noor Sridhar said.
The protest in Bengaluru was attended by members of civil society groups from across Karnataka and politicians from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. Organisers also invited a member of the Vote Adhikar Manch from West Bengal to speak about his experience with SIR.
Reports said approximately 91 lakh names were removed or flagged in Bengal in the lead up to the 2026 assembly elections while Tamil Nadu recorded around 74 lakh deletions.
The Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, has begun background work for mapping voters in the state but the SIR process itself is yet to start.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.