Prakash Raj claims name deleted from Bengaluru voter rolls amid SIR

Bengaluru: Actor and political activist Prakash Raj has claimed that his name has been removed from the electoral rolls in Bengaluru during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), questioning the credibility of the exercise.

In a video message shared on X, Raj said he was among the voters whose names had allegedly been removed from the rolls following the revision.

‘I was born in this constituency’

Raj highlighted his long association with Bengaluru while questioning how his name could have been removed from the electoral roll.

“I was born in this constituency, I have lived in this constituency, had my schooling, college, theatre,” he said in the video.

The actor also pointed out that he had contested the Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate from the Bengaluru Central constituency.

Raj questions voter deletion

Raj said he would examine the procedure and documentation required to restore his name to the electoral rolls.

“Let me see what is the process I have to go through, show documents to get back my voter ID. Well, the game is on,” he said.

In a post on X, he further questioned whether removing the voting rights of citizens could prevent them from exercising their democratic choice in the future.

His remarks come amid an ongoing political debate over the SIR exercise, voter verification and the deletion or shifting of names from electoral rolls in Karnataka.

Status of voter registration needs verification

While Raj has publicly claimed that his name was removed, the exact reason for his absence from the electoral roll would need to be established through official electoral records.

Recent reports indicate that his name has appeared in the list of electors categorised under the SIR process, with his entry reportedly marked as “permanently shifted”.

The SIR exercise has generated concerns among political parties and citizens over documentation, verification and the process for restoring eligible voters whose names may have been incorrectly excluded.

Raj’s case has now added a prominent public figure to the debate, with the actor saying he intends to follow the procedure to establish his eligibility and restore his name if required.