Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief B K Hariprasad has launched a sharp attack on Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy over their allegations of 'mass enumeration' of voters. Hariprasad accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the Systematic Identification Register (SIR) as a “new weapon” after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to manipulate electoral rolls and win elections.
Allegations of Voter Deletion
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Hariprasad claimed that the BJP was systematically deleting names of voters from marginalized communities, particularly Muslims and Dalits, to skew the electoral outcome in its favor. He alleged that the SIR, a tool meant to maintain accurate voter lists, was being misused to target specific communities. “After failing with CAA and NRC, the BJP has now unleashed SIR as a new weapon to disenfranchise voters,” he said.
Response to Joshi and Kumaraswamy
Hariprasad's remarks came in response to earlier statements by Pralhad Joshi and H D Kumaraswamy, who had accused the Congress of engaging in mass enumeration of voters to inflate its support base. Joshi, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, had claimed that the Congress was trying to enroll illegal immigrants as voters in Karnataka. Kumaraswamy, the Janata Dal (Secular) leader, had echoed similar concerns, warning of a demographic change through voter manipulation.
Hariprasad dismissed these allegations as baseless and said that the BJP and JD(S) were attempting to divert attention from their own failures. “They have no agenda to offer the people, so they are spreading falsehoods about voter enumeration,” he added.
Political Implications
The war of words has intensified ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka, where all major parties are vying for power. The Congress has been accusing the BJP of using central agencies and administrative tools to target opposition leaders and manipulate electoral processes. The BJP, on the other hand, has alleged that the Congress is trying to bring in illegal immigrants to boost its vote bank.
According to political analysts, the issue of voter enumeration and deletions is likely to become a major campaign topic. The Election Commission of India has said it will investigate any complaints of irregularities in the electoral rolls. However, no official data has been released to support either side's claims.
Hariprasad called upon the Election Commission to ensure a level playing field and to take action against any party found guilty of manipulating voter lists. “We demand a thorough probe into the alleged misuse of SIR and other administrative mechanisms,” he said.
