Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP leader Captain Brijesh Chowta on Tuesday accused the Congress of spreading misinformation and creating confusion among the public over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.

Addressing a press conference at the district BJP office near PVS Circle in Mangaluru on October 6, Chowta said SIR was aimed at ensuring accurate and updated electoral rolls and stressed that Form 7 is an objection mechanism and does not automatically lead to deletion of a voter’s name.

He said the revision exercise was intended to identify entries of deceased voters, duplicate registrations, voters who had shifted residences and errors in electoral records.

Chowta defends SIR process

Chowta accused the Congress of creating what he described as a “journey of lies” over the past 12 years and alleged that the party was attempting to generate confusion and communal tension around the electoral revision process.

He maintained that SIR was not a new exercise and was being conducted under the established electoral framework.

The BJP MP also accused Congress leaders of showing a lack of faith in constitutional institutions and democratic procedures by questioning the revision process.

Referring to electoral roll figures, Chowta said Karnataka had 5,54,32,114 registered voters before the revision, while the draft electoral roll published on August 24 contained 4,46,80,151 voters.

He rejected allegations that 50–60 lakh voters had been unlawfully removed, stressing that the draft electoral roll should not be treated as the final list.

According to Chowta, more than 3.5 lakh new voters had been added through Form 6 applications within around 10 days of publication of the draft roll.

He said the revision process provides eligible citizens with opportunities to register their names and correct discrepancies, and urged people not to interpret the draft roll as the final outcome of the revision.

‘Form 7 is not a deletion order’

Responding to allegations that Form 7 applications were being used to target minority communities, Chowta said the form was intended to raise objections regarding entries in the electoral roll.

He cited examples such as deceased voters, duplicate registrations and voters who had shifted their residence.

“Form 7 is not a deletion order; it is only an objection. The Election Commission is responsible for verifying the objection before taking a decision,” he said.

Chowta maintained that authorities were required to follow the prescribed procedure and verify the relevant details before removing a voter’s name.

He challenged Congress leaders to provide specific evidence of voters whose names had been unlawfully deleted, alleging that concerns were being raised even before the verification process had been completed.

The MP also said that if an eligible voter’s name was inadvertently deleted, the person could seek inclusion through Form 6 as per the applicable procedure.

Congress accused of obstructing revision

Chowta accused the Congress government, particularly former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, of obstructing the SIR exercise and intimidating Booth Level Agents (BLOs) appointed by recognised political parties.

He questioned the Congress leadership’s protests at Election Commission offices and urged political parties to cooperate with election officials to ensure that the electoral roll remained transparent and accurate.

According to Chowta, Booth Level Agents appointed by recognised political parties have a role in assisting authorities during the revision exercise. He said objections submitted by such agents should also be examined through the prescribed legal process.

The MP also responded to allegations that bulk Form 7 applications had been submitted against voters belonging predominantly to minority communities.

He said the existence of objections alone could not establish that voters had been unlawfully deleted and insisted that individual cases should first be verified by the Election Commission.

Chowta further warned that the BJP would not remain silent if its workers were intimidated while participating in the electoral revision exercise.

Individual lapses should not be linked to SIR, says Chowta

While defending the overall SIR framework, Chowta acknowledged that individual officials could fail to perform their duties properly.

Responding to questions about allegations that some Booth Level Officers were issuing notices without physically visiting voters’ homes, he said officials were expected to conduct the required field verification.

“If an individual officer fails to perform the assigned duty properly, it is an implementation issue in that particular case,” he said.

He maintained that such instances should not automatically be presented as evidence of a flaw in the entire SIR process.

Chowta also said procedural issues, including spelling errors in voters’ names, should be addressed through the appropriate channels.

He urged the media to examine the revision process carefully and called upon political parties to cooperate with election authorities instead of creating confusion among voters.

Chowta seeks removal of Brahmarakotlu toll plaza

Chowta also spoke about the Brahmarakotlu toll plaza during the press conference.

He said he had written to the Union ministry concerned seeking removal of the toll plaza, citing prescribed distance guidelines and the development of new toll infrastructure.

According to Chowta, the ministry had responded favourably to his request. He said the toll plaza would be removed or upgraded once the proposed toll infrastructure on the highway towards Bengaluru via B C Road and the Punjalakatte road became operational.

The MP said he would provide a detailed briefing on infrastructure-related developments separately.

BJP leaders attend press conference

BJP district vice-president Pooja Pai, district general secretaries Poornima and Sujeeth Pratap, district spokesperson Rajgopal Rai, district media in-charge Vasanth J Poojary and district spokesperson Jeevan Kumar Thokottu were present at the press conference.

Chowta’s remarks come amid continuing political debate in Karnataka over the SIR exercise, with the BJP defending the revision as a mechanism to ensure accurate electoral rolls and the Congress raising concerns over the deletion and verification of voter entries.

The BJP MP reiterated that draft electoral rolls, objections and individual verification should be viewed as separate stages of the process and urged voters to make use of the prescribed mechanisms to register or correct their details.