Prakash Raj leads 'Election Commission Chalo' protest in Bengaluru

Actor Prakash Raj leads the 'Election Commission Chalo' protest in Bengaluru's Freedom Park. He is protesting against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, raising concerns over alleged flaws and the 'undemocratic' nature of the EC.

Actor and activist Prakash Raj, along with civil society organisations, is participating in a protest march 'Election Commission Chalo', currently underway at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. The protest is being held against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with participants raising concerns over alleged flaws in the exercise. Prakash Raj shared a poster urging all to participate in the protest for "citizens' dignity." "Please come and participate in this protest for every citizen's dignity #justasking," he wrote.

Prakash Raj Slams 'Undemocratic' Process

Earlier, speaking to the media, Prakash Raj said, "Even before the SSR began, the process of selecting the Election Commission was undemocratic. With two members from the ruling party and only one from the opposition, where is the democracy in that? Furthermore, the government decided in Parliament to grant judicial immunity to the Election Commission, ensuring that no case can be filed against any officer for the rest of their lives. In a democratic system, judicial immunity is typically reserved for Supreme Court judges. Why extend it to an entire organisation? It creates a situation where they feel they can do anything without being held accountable."

"For how many years will a voter of this country, a citizen, have to run after the courts? Why are you putting every voter in this country through so much trouble? And in Karnataka, there are still two years left; it's not urgent. What was the need to do this in just one month? he added.

He questioned the deletion of voters marked as absent or permanently shifted, arguing that they should be given a fair opportunity to establish their eligibility rather than being asked to re-enrol through Form 6.

CEO Publishes Draft Electoral Roll

This comes after the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) published the Draft Electoral Roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026 exercise. The draft roll was published after the completion of the enumeration process carried out between June 30 and August 17, 2026, through house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the state.

Key Statistics from the Draft Roll

According to the CEO's office, the draft electoral roll includes a total of 4,46,35,975 electors. The list comprises 2,24,73,864 female voters, 2,21,59,240 male voters and 2,871 third-gender electors.The electoral roll also includes 44,176 service electors and 3,70,341 young voters in the 18-19 age group.

During the enumeration exercise, 1,07,96,339 entries, accounting for 19.48 per cent of the total entries, were identified under the ASDDO categories -- Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others. The remaining 4.46 crore electors have been retained as the active voter base.

However, within this group, 20.35 lakh electors have been flagged for anomalies, while 23.45 lakh voters have been placed under the NoMapping category.The CEO's office said that both categories, together accounting for over 43.8 lakh voters, will be issued notices and required to submit responses to confirm their eligibility and ensure their inclusion in the final electoral roll.

Timeline for Claims and Objections

The qualifying date for the revision has been fixed as October 1, 2026. The period for filing claims and objections will continue from August 24 to September 23, 2026, after which the final electoral roll will be published on October 27, 2026.

The CEO's office has appealed to citizens to verify their details in the draft roll and submit claims or objections within the given timeframe to ensure accurate inclusion of their names in the final list. (ANI)

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