Bengaluru, May 25 (IANS). Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday stressed the need for collective efforts to protect the voting rights of citizens amid the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process.
Speaking to reporters after participating in the ‘Congress Nade, Mata Rakshane Kade’ (Congress March for Vote Conservation) program organized in Devanahalli, Shivakumar said that no citizen’s right to vote should be snatched away.
He said, “No one should be deprived of the right to vote. People should be provided with the necessary documents and the security of their vote should be ensured.”
Shivakumar appealed to the people to avoid any misunderstanding regarding the voter list revision process and stressed on cooperating with the election officials.
He said that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are going door-to-door and distributing enumeration forms, which are mandatory to be filled and submitted along with necessary documents.
He said, “People should remove the confusion that this is a mapping process. The enumeration form given by the BLO will have to be filled and submitted to the election officials along with the necessary documents. Our workers will also be trained for this work.”
The Deputy Chief Minister appealed to the officials and party workers to work beyond political differences.
“The BLO must rise above party politics and ensure the protection of the voting rights of every individual,” he said.
Shivkumar also warned of action against party officials and officials who were absent from the campaign-related meetings.
He said, “Ministers and MLAs have been instructed to leave all other work and concentrate on this campaign. Action will be taken against those officials who did not attend today’s meeting. Those who do not show interest in the organization will be removed from their posts.”
On the question of protests against the SIR process, Shivakumar clarified that the main focus of Congress will not be on agitation but on spreading awareness.
“Instead of protesting against SIR, we will focus on making people aware about it,” he said.
–IANS
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