Karnataka protesters joined the INDIA bloc’s march in Delhi on November 1, carrying what they described as the “longest list” of names deleted from the state’s electoral rolls and turning the voter-registration dispute into a national political issue. The delegation’s participation came days after Karnataka published its final electoral roll following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The march began at the Minto Road–Connaught Place junction and moved towards Ramlila Maidan, where the rally was held. Senior Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee and KC Venugopal, participated in the demonstration. INDIA bloc parties have accused the Election Commission of allowing eligible voters to be removed and have demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The dispute centres on the scale of change recorded in Karnataka’s final electoral roll. The final list, released on October 27, recorded 4.54 crore electors, compared with 5.54 crore before the revision. This represented a reduction of nearly 99.76 lakh voters, according to data cited in the report.
Chief Electoral Officer data showed that 1.08 crore enumeration forms were not included in the final roll. Separately, 61,867 electors were declared ineligible after notices were issued and hearings were conducted. During the claims and objections period, 10.08 lakh voters were added and 1.88 lakh names were deleted.
The Election Commission has maintained that the revision was intended to verify voter eligibility and update electoral rolls. Opposition parties have alleged that the process could exclude eligible voters and have called for the SIR exercise to be scrapped. They have also demanded that voters whose names were deleted and who remain eligible be restored to the rolls.
The Karnataka delegation’s presence at the Delhi rally followed a symbolic public impeachment programme held by Opposition MPs on October 31 at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. Around 250 INDIA bloc MPs took part in proceedings modelled on parliamentary debates and adopted a resolution accusing the Chief Election Commissioner of facilitating electoral manipulation. The programme was symbolic and did not constitute a formal impeachment proceeding.
The INDIA bloc had called on students, youth, women and workers to participate in the ‘Chalo Dilli’ march. Opposition parties projected a turnout of up to 10 lakh, while Delhi Police estimated that around 50,000 people attended. More than 4,000 police personnel were deployed around Ramlila Maidan and along the march route.
