Jarkiholi Clarifies Karnataka SIR Remarks, Denies Endorsement

Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi said on October 30 that his earlier remarks about the state’s electoral-roll revision had been misinterpreted, and denied that he meant the process was correct. His clarification followed comments in which he had described the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as properly conducted in Karnataka, setting off disagreement with Congress colleagues over alleged voter-deletion attempts. Jarkiholi said his earlier remarks were intended to convey that alleged efforts to remove Congress-supporting voters through Form 7 applications had been thwarted. He credited protests led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said he opposed attempts to remove eligible voters. The claims about thwarted efforts were his; the reports do not independently establish what happened in individual cases. In his initial comments, Jarkiholi said Karnataka’s revision had been conducted systematically after officials received training. He said removals involved voters who had died, moved residence or were registered in more than one place. He distinguished Karnataka from West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar, where Congress had raised objections, and said the process used in...