Shivakumar Demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Removal, Alleges EC Complicity in Vote Rigging

Bengaluru, Sept 26 (: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday demanded the dismissal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission had become a “partner” in vote rigging and calling for the cancellation and fresh conduct of the electoral revision process.

Addressing a KPCC protest at Freedom Park against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Shivakumar urged President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and demanded that the Chief Election Commissioner be arrested and the electoral exercise reviewed.

“The Election Commission was given autonomy by the Constitution, but it has been misused. The SIR should be cancelled and a fresh revision conducted,” he said.

Shivakumar claimed that Karnataka had around 5.54 crore electors before the SIR and that the figure had fallen to 4.46 crore after the exercise. He said notices had been issued to 30-40 lakh voters and questioned the impact of the revision on electoral participation.

Referring to the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency and Mahadevapura, he alleged discrepancies in voter numbers and sought accountability from the authorities.

“The right to vote is the right of every individual. Voting is the biggest opportunity given by the Constitution in a democratic system. We will not let this go,” Shivakumar said.

He said the Congress would take its campaign against the SIR to the village level ahead of the forthcoming local body elections and press for greater transparency in the electoral process.

KPCC president B K Hariprasad, who also addressed the protest, alleged that lakhs of eligible voters had been omitted from electoral rolls in several states. He claimed that 64 lakh names had been deleted in Bihar, 91 lakh in West Bengal and 1.07 crore in Karnataka after 2024, and accused the Election Commission of taking unilateral decisions.

Hariprasad demanded the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar and said the Congress would continue its agitation at the district level from Monday.

The protest was organised by the KPCC as part of the Congress campaign against the SIR exercise and its demand for greater transparency in the electoral process.