Three Union Ministers from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday, 7 July 2025, accused the Karnataka government and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of attempting to sabotage the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. The ministers alleged widespread violations of Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines and warned they would escalate the matter to the Chief Election Commissioner in New Delhi if corrective action was not taken.

The Memorandum and NDA Delegation

An NDA delegation comprising Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Shobha Karandlaje, along with several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from Karnataka, submitted a formal memorandum to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar in Bengaluru. The memorandum sought an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the SIR process. According to the delegation, the Chief Electoral Officer gave them a patient hearing and assured them the matter would be examined.

Key Allegations Against the State Government

Addressing a joint press conference, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi alleged that the Congress-led state government was flouting ECI-prescribed procedures by distributing enumeration forms in groups rather than conducting mandatory door-to-door verification.

'The state government has taken people in herds like sheep and distributed enumeration forms during the SIR exercise. They are also conducting a separate SIR in selected booths under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, although they have no constitutional authority to do so,' Joshi alleged.

Joshi also questioned the reported practice of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) operating from mosques and dargahs instead of carrying out house-to-house visits, arguing this made it impossible to verify voter eligibility. He further criticised Chief Minister Shivakumar over his reported statement linking electoral roll inclusion to welfare benefits such as ration cards, calling it an attempt to create confusion around the SIR process. 'The Election Commission has never said that ration cards or government benefits would be withdrawn if names are missing from the electoral roll,' Joshi said.

Kumaraswamy Submits Documentary Evidence

Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy stated that the delegation had submitted a detailed complaint along with pen drives containing evidence of irregularities recorded over the preceding week. 'The Chief Electoral Officer informed us that he has already conveyed these developments to the Election Commission of India,' Kumaraswamy said.

He alleged that state officials had disregarded ECI guidelines under pressure from the ruling government. 'The guidelines issued by the Election Commission have been thrown to the wind. Officials are acting to please the state government,' he alleged. Kumaraswamy also accused the Indian National Congress (Congress) of double standards, noting that Congress leaders had criticised the SIR process in other states while allegedly subverting it in Karnataka.

The Congress Response and Next Steps

Responding to Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge's criticism that the ECI was remaining silent over the alleged violations, Joshi maintained it was the state government, not the Commission, that was undermining the revision process. The NDA delegation warned that if appropriate corrective action was not initiated, they would meet the Chief Election Commissioner in New Delhi on Tuesday, 7 July.

This is the latest flashpoint in a series of political confrontations over the SIR process in Karnataka, which has seen complaints submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer on multiple consecutive days. With the ECI reportedly having already deputed officials to examine the complaints, the outcome of that inquiry is likely to shape the next phase of the standoff.