Congress Supports Voter Roll Revision but Seeks Action on Electoral Roll Concerns, Says Priyank Kharge
Minister says the party backs voter verification but urges the Election Commission to prevent genuine voters from being left out.
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has said that the Congress party is not opposed to the Election Commission of India’s ongoing voter roll revision exercise. However, he stressed that the party expects the Commission to address concerns about the possible exclusion of genuine voters due to strict documentation requirements.
Kharge was referring to the Special Intensive Revision process being carried out by the Election Commission to update and verify electoral rolls. While the exercise is intended to improve the accuracy of voter lists, the Congress has expressed concern that many eligible voters could lose their voting rights because of procedural difficulties.
One of the main issues raised by the party is the type of documents being accepted for verification. According to Kharge, the Karnataka government had authorised Panchayat Development Officers to issue standard residential certificates to help people complete the process. However, the Election Commission has reportedly insisted on Permanent Residential Certificates, creating difficulties for many applicants.
Kharge said this requirement places an unfair burden on poor families, rural residents and women from marginalised communities who may not have access to such documents. He argued that the election process should focus on ensuring maximum voter participation rather than creating obstacles that could result in eligible citizens being removed from the electoral rolls.
He also said that the Karnataka Congress has formed a committee to identify issues related to the revision process and submit formal objections and recommendations to the Election Commission.
In addition, the party has instructed its grassroots workers and booth level representatives to conduct door to door visits to identify any discrepancies and help ensure that the names of eligible voters are not omitted before the upcoming elections.