Prakash Raj urges non-partisan movement against Election Commission’s SIR

Actor and activist Prakash Raj has urged people to build a non-partisan movement against the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, The Hindu reported. Speaking at an anti-SIR rally in Vijayapura on Sunday, Mr. Raj said the campaign was about protecting voting rights, democracy and the Constitution.

The rally was organised by the Mata Kavalu Samiti and other organisations. He presented several eligible voters who had received notices or faced objections from third parties to their inclusion in electoral rolls. The source material did not provide the number of people affected or details of their cases.

Mr. Raj alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was using the SIR to remove the names of poor and deprived people. He claimed that most of 13 crore deleted names belonged to groups including slum dwellers, Adivasis, Dalits, Muslims, Christians and women.

Those figures and allegations were presented by Mr. Raj in his speech and were not independently verified in the supplied report. He also referred to what he described as reporting about decisions by the Election Commission not being majority decisions.

He urged supporters not to allow any political party, whether ruling or opposition, to take control of the campaign. He said voters should remain free to support different parties at different elections. Mr.

Raj called for a peaceful satyagraha and described the effort as a new freedom struggle. He also referred to youth protests in Delhi and Mumbai as an example of people organising across differences. Mata Kavalu Samiti president Bhogesh Solapur, Isabella Xavier and other activists attended the rally.

The source did not include a response from the Election Commission or the BJP.