Karnataka Civil Groups to Launch Statewide ‘SIR Investigation and Resistance Yatra’ from Sept. 22
Bengaluru, 19 Sept. 2026: A coalition of civil society organisations and secular political groups opposing Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will launch a statewide “SIR Investigation and Resistance Yatra” from September 22 to 30, seeking to document alleged irregularities and meet affected voters.
The coalition said the campaign would examine the impact of SIR, collect evidence and place its findings before the public and government. Actor Prakash Raj, writers, activists and thinkers are expected to participate.
‘Voting Rights Must Be Protected’
In a joint statement, J.M. Veerasangaiah, B.T. Lalitha Naik, K.L. Ashok, Mohammed Yusuf Kanni, K. Mahantesh, Taher Hussain, Sitaram Gundappa and K.H. Abdul Majeed alleged that the revision was “unscientific and unconstitutional” and risked depriving eligible citizens of voting rights.
Official SIR figures provide important context: around 1.08 crore names were excluded from the draft roll after being classified under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Other categories, while 43.81 lakh voters remaining on the draft roll were identified for notices over “no mapping” or anomalies. The Election Commission maintains that affected eligible electors have avenues for claims and verification, with the final roll scheduled for October 27.
100 Booths Under Scrutiny
The coalition said “Citizen Vote Vigilance Committees” are examining electoral records at 100 selected booths to assess the scale and nature of disputed exclusions.
The yatra will begin at Mundgod in Uttara Kannada and travel through Hubballi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Ballari, Koppal, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru and Mandya.
On September 30, the coalition plans to release a “Citizens’ Report” based on the yatra and booth-level study, submit it to the government and demand measures to safeguard eligible voters’ democratic rights.
