Karnataka Congress launches statewide awareness drive to counter ‘voter disenfranchisement’ amid SIR exercise

HUBBALLI: In a move aimed at safeguarding the electoral franchise of marginalised communities, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president BK Hariprasad on Thursday announced that the party has launched a massive grassroots awareness campaign across the state.

The initiative follows the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, Hariprasad alleged the BJP is using the exercise to systematically strip voting rights from the poor, especially in rural areas.

Hariprasad said the Congress has appointed observers across most districts and talukas to spread awareness, particularly in rural and economically weaker sections. He said the effort is aimed at helping “genuine citizens” retain their voting rights.

“The Congress Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has launched an awareness programme. Since there is limited time, observers have been deputed in almost all districts and talukas to create awareness among voters, especially in rural areas where the poorest of the poor reside”, Hariprasad said.

#WATCH | Hubballi, Karnataka: On SIR in Karnataka, KPCC President, BK Hariprasad says, “… The Congress Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has launched an awareness programme. Since there is limited time, the Pradesh Congress Committee has deputed observers in almost all… pic.twitter.com/n10iwp5141

— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2026

He further alleged that the BJP was attempting to disenfranchise poor voters, a charge the Congress strongly opposes. He urged people to ensure that between June 30 and July 29, they fill out their enumeration forms and submit them to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

“Our idea is that no genuine citizen of this country should lose their franchise. The BJP is attempting to disenfranchise the majority of poor people, and we are opposed to that. We are working to create awareness among all voters so that between 30 June and 29 July, everyone fills out their enumeration form and submits it to the BLO”, added BK Hariprasad.

Earlier, Hariprasad attacked the BJP, accusing the opposition of “manufacturing outrage” and spreading misinformation following the recent NEET-UG re-examination in Bengaluru.

The controversy, which saw several candidates arrive late at an examination centre, had been aggressively pinned by BJP leaders on a mega Congress convention held at the Palace Grounds. However, a formal “fact-check” by the Bengaluru Traffic Police, based on extensive CCTV analysis and route mapping, has categorically refuted these claims.

In a sharp rebuke of the BJP’s tactics, Hariprasad labelled the incident a cynical political ploy on X. “The BJP’s politics of lies and manufactured outrage has once again been exposed,” he stated, highlighting that the opposition party chose to exploit a student’s stressful situation for political mileage rather than verify the facts.

“It is unfortunate that BJP leaders chose to exploit a student’s situation & spread misinformation for political mileage rather than stand by the truth. Such attempts to malign the Karnataka Government have failed miserably in the face of evidence. Truth cannot be buried under propaganda. Those who blamed the govt should apologise now”. (ANI)