Bengaluru, 01 September (H.S.):The Karnataka government on Tuesday intervened after civil society groups protesting at Freedom Park demanded more time for the disposal of notices issued as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited the protest venue on September 1 and assured the demonstrators that their concerns would be taken up with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka.

The protest, led by actor and activist Prakash Raj, raised concerns over the large number of names allegedly deleted from the SIR draft electoral roll. The participants also criticised the short deadline given to voters to respond to notices and resolve discrepancies in their electoral records.

The protesters demanded that the Congress government formally meet the CEO and communicate their concerns to the Election Commission. They gave the government an hour to send a representative, warning that the agitation would continue and be intensified if there was no response.

Following the ultimatum, Mr. Reddy reached Freedom Park and held discussions with the protesters. He said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had deputed him to represent the State government and understand the issues raised by the civil society organisations.

The Minister assured the gathering that he would convey their demands to the Chief Minister. The government would subsequently approach the CEO and seek appropriate measures to address concerns over the deletion of names and the limited time available for responding to SIR notices, he said.

Mr. Reddy added that the Congress government was closely monitoring the revision exercise and remained cautious about its possible consequences. Referring to developments witnessed during the elections in West Bengal, he said the government did not want genuine voters to be excluded from the electoral process.

The protesters maintained that the revision must be transparent and that sufficient time should be provided to affected electors to submit documents, correct errors and ensure the restoration of eligible names.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman