Congress to launch ‘Save Vote, Save Country’ marches across Karnataka

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress will launch a statewide ‘Save Vote, Save Country’ campaign from October 10 to 20, with marches planned at the block level to create awareness over the ongoing revision of electoral rolls and alleged deletion of voters’ names.

KPCC president BK Hariprasad announced the programme at a press conference, while stepping up the party’s criticism of the Election Commission and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Congress has alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including cases where eligible voters were allegedly marked as deceased or removed from the rolls. Similar allegations have emerged from Vijayapura, while a separate FIR has been registered in Bengaluru’s Malleswaram over alleged irregularities involving voter deletions. The allegations are under investigation and have not been established.

Hariprasad alleged that records in Vijayapura showed names of living women as deceased and claimed that death certificates had been submitted in connection with the entries. He also raised concerns over alleged irregularities involving voter deletions in Malleswaram.

Marches across blocks

The marches, scheduled between October 10 and 20, will begin near statues of Mahatma Gandhi or BR Ambedkar and conclude at the respective deputy commissioner’s office. The Congress plans to keep each march within five kilometres.

Senior leaders at the block level will participate and submit representations to deputy commissioners before the national anthem is sung, Hariprasad said.

The party also plans to burn an effigy of Gyanesh Kumar as part of its protest against the Election Commission. The broader Congress campaign announced nationally includes block-level rallies and outreach programmes during the October 10-20 period.

Campaign to continue till November

From October 25 to November 25, the Congress plans to hold public meetings and press conferences to highlight issues relating to electoral rolls. The party will also conduct booth- and panchayat-level verification of cases involving voters categorised under ASDDO during the revision process.

A major INDIA bloc protest has also been announced for November 1 at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. Hariprasad said the party would continue its campaign until its demands, including action over alleged electoral-roll irregularities and the resignation of the CEC, are addressed.

The Election Commission, meanwhile, has maintained that the revision process is intended to update electoral rolls and remove ineligible or duplicate entries, while opposition parties have raised objections over the manner in which the exercise is being conducted.

State minister Satish Jarkiholi, AICC secretary Gopinath Palaniappan and KPCC media and communications department chairman Ramesh Babu were among those present at the press conference.