UDUPI: Raising critical logical and humanitarian questions regarding the ongoing Special Integrated Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Karnataka, the district-based progressive forum ‘Sahabalve’ has sharply criticized the Election Commission (EC) and the political parties of the NDA coalition. The organization has strongly condemned the heavy workload imposed on booth-level officers and questioned the administrative logic of the entire process.

In a formal press statement issued on behalf of the Sahabalve steering committee, chief convener K. Phaniraj asked, “If filling up voter enumeration forms online is considered completely legal and valid, how does the act of voters or their immediate relatives physically gathering in a common public place to fill out the very same physical forms collectively become illegal or fraudulent?”

Expressing deep grief over recent casualties, Phaniraj noted, “It is highly shocking to note that within the very first week of the launching of the SIR drive, four Booth Level Officers (BLOs) allegedly died due to sheer work-induced stress. Even though BLOs are low-ranking government employees, they are human beings with physical and health limitations. Hundreds of such avoidable deaths have been recorded in other states during earlier revision drives. Under such circumstances, why has the Election Commission fixed a rigid three-month deadline and mandated an unrealistic target of visiting 50 houses per day? The next assembly elections in Karnataka are still two and a half years away. What is stopping the EC from expanding this timeline to 6 or 9 months so that the revision can be conducted efficiently without endangering the lives of these poor staff?”

“A BLO cannot simply drop the forms and leave; they must guide the families on how to fill them correctly, and often have to sit down and assist them. Has any scientific time-assessment study been carried out before assigning this 50-house target? Due to the immense pressure to meet deadlines, if BLOs conduct mass distribution and collection drives at a central spot, it is being vilified as an offense. The commission distributes pre-printed, uniquely serialized forms allocated specifically per household. Why then is there a suspicion that BLOs are manufacturing fake forms? If the EC permits political party agents and help desks to assist voters in public hubs, why is it viewed as an illegality if the designated government staff adopt the same collective approach to save time?” Phaniraj added.

Slamming the statements made by opposition leaders, the convener stated, “NDA alliance leaders are irresponsibly claiming that there are 20 to 25 lakh illegal immigrants in the state and a conspiracy is underway to enroll them. From where did they fetch such precise figures? Do they possess any authentic documents or evidence to back this up? The current rules are tightly bound to the 2002 electoral roll in such a way that neither voters nor BLOs can manipulate the baseline. If politicians have such specific data on hand, why are they not submitting it directly to the Election Commission instead of making dramatic public statements and triggering mass panic? The Election Commissioner and the NDA leaders must address these concerns scientifically and ensure a fair and stress-free environment for the field workers,” the Sahabalve statement demanded.

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