‘Where is the democracy?’: Prakash Raj challenges EC over Karnataka draft voter list drive

Bengaluru: Actor and activist Prakash Raj, alongside civil society groups, joined an 'Election Commission Chalo' protest march at Freedom Park in Bengaluru to oppose the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, raising concerns over alleged irregularities in the process.

Raj shared an event poster online, calling on the public to take part to safeguard "citizens' dignity."

"Please come and participate in this protest for every citizen's dignity #justasking," he wrote on social media.

Speaking to reporters earlier, Raj challenged the constitution of the Election Commission itself.

"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 removal of individuals flagged as absent or permanently relocated, contending that voters ought to be granted a fair chance to verify their eligibility rather than being forced to apply anew using Form 6.

ALSO READ: Prakash Raj claims name missing from Bengaluru voter list

The demonstration follows the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) releasing the Draft Electoral Roll after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026 drive. The preliminary roll was released after door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the state between 30 June and 17 August 2026.

Data from the CEO's office indicates the draft roll comprises 44,635,975 electors, consisting of 22,473,864 female voters, 22,159,240 male voters, and 2,871 third-gender electors. The list also incorporates 44,176 service voters and 370,341 first-time voters aged 18 and 19.

Throughout the enumeration drive, 10,796,339 entries, representing 19.48 per cent of total records, were classified under ASDDO categories (Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate, and Others).

The remaining 44.6 million voters have been maintained in the active electorate. However, within that group, 2,035,000 electors have been flagged for inconsistencies, whilst another 2,345,000 have been assigned to a "NoMapping" status.

The CEO's office noted that voters in both sub-categories, totalling over 4.38 million people, will receive formal notices requiring them to submit documentation to confirm their status before the final register is published.

The qualifying threshold date for the revision has been set for 1 October 2026. The window for submitting claims and objections runs from 24 August to 23 September 2026, ahead of the publication of the definitive electoral roll on 27 October 2026.

Election authorities have urged citizens to check their entries on the draft list and submit any necessary corrections or claims within the prescribed period to ensure their inclusion in the final roll.

ANI