Hubballi: Pralhad Joshi alleges violation of ECI guidelines in SIR

Dharwad Deputy Commissioner Snehal R. along with a booth level officer visited Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s residence in Hubballi on Saturday (July 4) to hand over the SIR enumeration form. | Photo credit: KIRAN BAKALE

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi alleged that Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines were being violated in the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR) in the state and said that a BJP delegation would soon meet the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka on the issue.

Speaking to reporters after attending the SIR enumeration process at his residence in Hubballi on Saturday (July 4), Mr. Joshi likened the SIR process in the state to “mass copying” during the examination.

Mr. Joshi alleged that enumeration forms were filled en masse in mosques, community halls and other public places instead of the prescribed door-to-door verification process. He said that all documentary evidence of violation of ECI guidelines will be presented to the CEO during the meeting.

He said photos and videos of such violations were already circulating on social media and the BJP had already collected enough evidence to present it to the CEO.

The minister said that the officials should work strictly according to ECI guidelines and not be pressured by anyone. All BLOs and officials involved in SIR should compulsorily visit every household instead of conducting collective verification programmes, he said.

Elaborating on the SIR process, Mr. Joshi said they never sought to remove or add voters on the basis of religion. “Our only requirement is that the voter lists accurately reflect the actual voters,” he said, adding that the same procedure was followed during previous SIRs.

He also urged the voters across Karnataka to extend full cooperation to the BLOs visiting their homes and ensure that their names and details are entered correctly in the electoral rolls.

Earlier, Mr. Joshi along with his family members participated in the SIR process at his residence by submitting the required documents and details to the BLO in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Dharwad Snehal R. Deputy Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly Arvind Bellad, Mahesh Tenginakai, MLA and other BJP leaders.

Published – 04 Jul 2026 20:31 IST