Shivakumar stages dharna at CEO office, demands FIR over voter deletion plot
Synopsis
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar took his fight directly to the Chief Electoral Officer's doorstep on 1 October, staging a dharna with nearly his entire Cabinet in tow. At the heart of the row: allegations that up to 20,000 votes per constituency were targeted for deletion through fraudulent Form 7 withdrawals — and that BJP leaders have already privately admitted involvement.
Key Takeaways
Shivakumar staged a dharna at the Chief Electoral Officer's office, Gandhinagar, Bengaluru on 1 October 2026 .
He demanded registration of a criminal case and a probe into alleged mass deletion of voters via Form 7 applications under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Approximately 13,000 fraudulent Form 7 applications were allegedly submitted and withdrawn in Ballari , and another 13,000 in Vijayapura .
Shivakumar alleged a conspiracy to delete 10,000–20,000 votes across all 224 constituencies , with voter EPIC numbers reportedly accessed illegally.
He named the BJP and Janata Dal as those behind the alleged plot, linking it to the earlier Chilume organisation controversy.
The Election Commission has sought reports from Deputy Commissioners ; officials requested time until Friday to respond.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday, 1 October 2026, staged a dharna at the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office in Gandhinagar, Bengaluru, demanding the registration of a criminal case and an independent probe into an alleged organised conspiracy to delete eligible voters' names through Form 7 applications. Shivakumar, flanked by several Cabinet colleagues and legislators, submitted a formal memorandum and vowed the protest would not end until a serious investigation was ordered.
What Triggered the Protest
At the centre of the controversy is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, during which Shivakumar alleged that large-scale fraudulent Form 7 applications — used to delete voters from electoral rolls — were submitted and later quietly withdrawn. He claimed approximately 13,000 such applications were filed in two Assembly constituencies in Ballari and subsequently retracted. A similar pattern, he alleged, played out in Vijayapura, excluding the Babaleshwar constituency, where another 13,000 applications were reportedly submitted and then withdrawn with requests that no action be taken.
The Chief Minister also said documents and videos relating to alleged irregularities in Mysuru, Belagavi, and Bhalki constituencies had been submitted to election officials. He further alleged that voter data, including EPIC numbers, had been accessed by those behind the scheme. 'We ourselves do not know the EPIC numbers of our family members, but these people have all the information through the EPIC numbers,' he alleged, adding that a conspiracy had been hatched to delete between 10,000 and 20,000 votes across all 224 constituencies in the state.
BJP and JD(S) Named in Allegations
Shivakumar squarely blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal for orchestrating the alleged deletions. He claimed that BJP leaders had admitted their involvement and had requested that the submitted applications be returned without action being taken against them. Referring to the earlier Chilume organisation controversy — which had previously embroiled Karnataka politics over alleged voter list manipulation — he argued that the current Form 7 episode followed a similar pattern, suggesting a larger network was at work. 'They have attempted to steal the voting rights of electors. This is vote theft,' he alleged.
Government's Stand and EC Response
Shivakumar was careful to frame the protest as a defence of constitutional process rather than a confrontation with the Election Commission. 'The Election Commission is a constitutional body and the government respects its authority,' he told reporters before the dharna. He said officials at the CEO's office had contacted senior authorities and sought time until Friday to respond. The Election Commission has reportedly sought a report from the respective Deputy Commissioners. The Chief Minister made clear that the state government had fully cooperated with the SIR process and that the alleged irregularities were the work of political actors, not administrative failure.
Who Joined the Dharna
The protest drew a significant show of strength from the ruling Congress camp. Among the ministers present were K.J. George, K.H. Muniyappa, Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi, B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, Basavaraj Rayareddy, Byrathi Suresh, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, K.N. Balakrishna, Rizwan Arshad, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Ajay Singh, Shivalingegowda, Puttarangashetty, and T. Raghumurthy. MP G.C. Chandrashekar and MLAs including Konareddy, Kampli Ganesh, and Bharath Reddy also participated. Notably, a Cabinet meeting scheduled for the same day was deferred. 'Protecting the voting rights of the state's voters is more important than anything else,' Shivakumar said.
What Happens Next
The Chief Minister said the agitation would continue until a criminal case was registered and a thorough investigation set in motion. With the Election Commission awaiting Deputy Commissioner reports by Friday, the next 24 to 48 hours will be critical in determining whether formal proceedings are initiated. The controversy is likely to escalate political tensions in Karnataka ahead of any future electoral exercise, and the BJP is expected to mount a counter-response to the Congress allegations.
Point of View
He is pushing the Election Commission into a corner — act or be seen as complicit. The Chilume reference is deliberate: that episode never resulted in credible accountability, and Congress is signalling it will not allow a repeat. The deeper worry is structural — if EPIC numbers can be harvested and Form 7 applications submitted at scale across 224 constituencies, the vulnerability in Karnataka's electoral roll management is systemic, not episodic. Whether the EC acts decisively before Friday will determine if this protest becomes a precedent or a footnote.
NationPress
1 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the voter deletion controversy in Karnataka about?
Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar has alleged that large numbers of fraudulent Form 7 applications — which are used to delete names from electoral rolls — were submitted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and later quietly withdrawn. He claims the scheme targeted 10,000 to 20,000 votes per constituency across all 224 assembly seats in the state.
What is Form 7 and why does it matter?
Form 7 is an official application that any citizen can submit to request the deletion of a voter's name from the electoral roll. Shivakumar alleges that this process was misused to mass-delete eligible voters, effectively disenfranchising them before they could exercise their franchise.
Who has Shivakumar blamed for the alleged conspiracy?
Shivakumar has directly named the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal, alleging their leaders admitted involvement and sought the return of submitted applications without action. He also linked the episode to the earlier Chilume organisation controversy involving alleged voter list manipulation in Karnataka.
What has the Election Commission done so far?
The Election Commission has sought reports from the respective Deputy Commissioners following the submission of documents and videos by the Congress-led government. Officials at the CEO's office have reportedly sought time until Friday before providing a formal response.
Will the dharna continue?
Yes, Shivakumar has stated that the protest will not end until a criminal case is registered and a serious investigation is ordered. A Cabinet meeting scheduled for 1 October was deferred to allow ministers to participate in the agitation.
