99 Lakh Voters Gone From Karnataka Rolls, Congress Minister Says SIR Was Done Right (Representative image) Karnataka Public Works minister Satish Jarkiholi has defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, saying it was conducted properly because of the Congress’s protests and training. His remarks come as the party intensifies its ‘vote chori’ campaign against the Election Commission’s exercise in other states. The Election Commission published Karnataka’s final electoral rolls after the revision, showing 4.55 crore voters, down from 5.54 crore before the exercise. This represents a net reduction of 99.32 lakh voters. Responding to the Congress’s opposition to the SIR, Jarkiholi said the party’s objections concerned the manner in which the exercise was conducted in West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar, rather than the process followed in Karnataka. “The SIR in Karnataka was done right because of our protests and training. Our argument is that SIR should have happened in the same manner in other states,” he said. Jarkiholi’s remarks underline the distinction between the Congress’s criticism of the SIR in other states and its assessment of the exercise in Karnataka. While the party has been campaigning against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, the minister has defended the state’s revision, crediting protests and training for its conduct. His comments come amid renewed scrutiny of the sharp decline in Karnataka’s electorate following the SIR. The reduction has raised questions about the deletion of names and whether voters were removed after shifting elsewhere or were omitted from the rolls altogether. Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has questioned minister Satish Jarkiholi’s remarks defending the SIR of electoral rolls in the state, citing alleged irregularities in Kalaburagi and Vijayapura. "I'm not sure what information Jarkiholi has," Kharge said, alleging that 40 people from a single community were targeted at one booth in Chittapur. He said the matter was investigated by returning officers, who found that pre-printed Form 7s were available in bulk. "Nobody knew the origins of it. The person who had submitted the Form 7 did not know why he had done that, and all they said was, 'It's come from the top.'" Kharge alleged that this indicated a wider conspiracy. "So that's a very clear indication that this is a conspiracy that has its roots all over the place, and it's centralized. We will get to the bottom of it." Citing another instance, he claimed that more than 40–50 people in Vijayapura had been declared dead, prompting Form 7 submissions, even though they were alive. "They have gone and complained to the DC over there, saying, 'We are not dead; we are alive.' So all these things have happened." "So I'm not sure what information Jarkiholi has. I'm basing my statements on things that have happened in Kalaburagi and elsewhere in the state," Kharge added.