Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday, 1 October 2026, alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) leaders and workers were orchestrating a criminal conspiracy to delete approximately 50 lakh eligible voters from the state's electoral rolls through the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Shivakumar demanded that the Election Commission of India register criminal cases against those allegedly involved in the scheme to disenfranchise voters from minorities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections.

Scale of the Alleged Deletions

Addressing a press conference at his home office Krishna in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister claimed that 1.07 crore voter names had already been excluded during the SIR process in Karnataka, with notices issued to an additional 45 lakh voters. He alleged that a fresh push was now underway to remove yet another 50 lakh names from the rolls — targeting communities he described as Congress's core support base.

Shivakumar cited constituency-level figures to support his claims: more than 1,600 pre-filled Form 7 applications were reportedly submitted in Babaleshwar, 14,000 in Vijayapura, and 3,244 in Bhalki. Similar attempts were, he said, detected in Narasimharajapura, Belagavi, and several other constituencies, with attempts to delete between 5,000 and 10,000 voters in certain booths.

What the Alleged Conspiracy Involves

The Chief Minister alleged that BJP and JD(S) workers had submitted pre-filled Form 7 applications — the standard form used to delete a voter's name from the rolls — to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across multiple Assembly constituencies. He questioned who was printing the forms with voter details already filled in and who was coordinating the exercise.

'This is a criminal conspiracy and a systematic attempt to create communal hatred and disturb communal harmony,' Shivakumar alleged at the briefing. He added: 'Official BJP workers have submitted hundreds of such Form 7 applications in their own names. In some places, BJP workers have admitted their mistakes.'

Members of a civil society group led by actor Prakash Raj had visited polling stations and collected ground-level information, he noted.

Government's Demands and Planned Action

Shivakumar urged the State Election Commission to immediately register FIRs, conduct a comprehensive investigation, and initiate legal proceedings against everyone found responsible. He also demanded the cancellation of the SIR itself, calling the exercise 'a major fraud' and questioning how such activities could occur without the knowledge of the Chief Electoral Officer.

He announced that he would lead a delegation of ministers to the State Election Commission office to submit a formal memorandum, warning that the delegation would stage a sit-in until appropriate action was taken. The state police, he said, would register cases and investigate the alleged conspiracy.

Political Context and Background

The allegations come at a politically charged moment. The Congress-led Karnataka government has been at odds with the Election Commission over the SIR, which it has consistently criticised. Shivakumar reiterated that his government had cooperated with the process since its launch, appointing 54,000 BLA-2 representatives, but argued the exercise had become a vehicle for targeted voter suppression.

Notably, the BJP and JD(S) have not publicly responded to the specific allegations as of the time of the press conference. The Election Commission's stance on the fresh demands is awaited. How the Commission responds — and whether FIRs are registered — will determine whether the controversy escalates into a full-scale electoral dispute ahead of Karnataka's next electoral cycle.