Implementation of SIR in Karnataka: Withdraw the Fascist Attack on the Right to Vote Immediately!
CPI(ML) Red Star State Committee Demands
The CPI(ML) Red Star Karnataka State Committee strongly condemns the “SIR” process being implemented in various parts of the country. We explicitly state that this is not merely an administrative measure; it is a political attack by the Sangh Parivar on the fundamental right to ordinary voting, which is the cornerstone of India’s constitutional democracy.
Instead of functioning as a constitutionally autonomous body, the Election Commission of India practically acting as a political tool of the BJP is an extremely dangerous development. The real intent behind the process being carried out in the name of “SIR” is not to purify the voter list; it is to purge the poor, Muslims, Dalits, women, migrant workers, minorities, and progressive people who vote against the BJP from the voters’ list. This is a Hindutva conspiracy to push people out of the voter list today, and out of the country tomorrow.
Such measures have been used experimentally in various states, including West Bengal. By removing the names of millions of people from the voters’ list, work has been done to distort the electoral process itself. This is not about preserving the democratic general election system; it is a political conspiracy to weaken the very existence of opposition parties and permanently establish a one-party, Hindutva-Corporate fascist rule.
The reason behind this is that when the ruling classes find their political dominance in jeopardy, they resort to the wicked path of curtailing people’s democratic rights. Today, the right to vote is under attack; tomorrow, authoritarian attacks on people’s right to organize, right to free speech, and right to protest will intensify further. Therefore, the struggle against SIR is not just an electoral question; it is a people’s struggle to save democracy in India.
The Congress government in Karnataka, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, must not remain silent on this issue and must explicitly oppose the implementation of SIR in the state. The CPI(ML) Red Star demands that the state government pass a resolution in the Legislative Assembly and exert pressure on the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, and the Central Government.
Concurrently, we demand that the Supreme Court of India intervene immediately and halt this process which undermines the citizens’ right to vote.
The CPI(ML) Red Star Karnataka State Committee calls upon all democratic forces in the state as follows: Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, women, farmers, workers, student-youth organizations, social justice movements, and all opposition parties must unite to build a statewide struggle for the cancellation of SIR.
Protecting the right to vote means protecting the survival of Indian democracy. Only a united struggle of the people against fascist forces can save the country.
B. Rudrayya
State Secretary
CPI(ML) Red Star, Karnataka State Committee
17-5-2026
Bengaluru
