SIR exercise must be carefully monitored, says Asghar Chulbul

Muhammad Asghar Chulbul, former chairman of Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority (KUDA) and national secretary of the interfaith wing of the All India Milli Council. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Muhammad Asghar Chulbul, former chairman of the Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority (KUDA) and national secretary of the interfaith wing of the All India Milli Council, has urged minorities, scheduled castes and other backward classes to remain vigilant during the ongoing special intensive review (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, describing July as a crucial one to protect the rights of eligible citizens as akaka.

Mr Chulbul said the Electoral Commission is constitutionally empowered to revise and update the electoral rolls, but insisted that no eligible voter’s name should be deleted during the exercise. He urged the citizens to actively participate in the revision process and ensure that their names remain on the electoral rolls.

Claiming that the revision process disproportionately affected eligible voters from minorities and other sections, he called on civil society organizations, community leaders and constitutional-minded citizens to launch awareness campaigns and help people complete the registration and verification process.

He argued that several constituencies across the country had witnessed narrow electoral margins in recent elections and argued that erasing even a small number of votes could affect the election results. He further argued that the ongoing SIR exercise could adversely affect communities that have traditionally voted against the BJP and appealed for greater public vigilance.

Calling July a crucial period, he urged political workers, aspiring legislators and volunteers to coordinate with the Booth Level Officials (BLOs), monitor the door-to-door verification process and deploy responsible local volunteers to each polling station to ensure that no eligible voter is left out of the voters’ list.

He advised citizens to fill out the census form carefully and after submitting it, obtain an official receipt, marking the receipt as an important record of submission.

Mr Chulbul appealed to eligible voters, especially the minority youth, to help neighbours, relatives and local residents to complete the revision process and ensure that their names remain on the electoral rolls. He said there was no need to panic but stressed that the people should remain alert, united and actively participate in the month-long exercise to protect their democratic rights.

Published – 29 Jun 2026 10:24 IST