Karnataka chief minister and Congress legislators plan Delhi protest

D. K. Shivakumar said on October 11 that he would travel to Delhi with Congress legislators from Karnataka. Their protest against the revision of electoral rolls is scheduled for October 12.

Participants intend to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said Congress was organising its own protest, while some allies in the opposition INDIA bloc had joined a separate demonstration by the CJP movement.

The Karnataka chief minister accused electoral authorities of removing voters from the rolls and said voting rights needed protection for Dalits, minorities and other disadvantaged groups. These are the political leader's allegations, rather than independently established findings of electoral misconduct.

On October 1, Shivakumar and his cabinet colleagues held a sit-in outside the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Bengaluru. They sought an investigation into an alleged attempt to remove eligible voters through Form 7 applications.

Responding to a letter from former civil servants defending the Election Commission, Shivakumar maintained that the protest would continue. The letter's authors called for credible evidence to support manipulation allegations. His announced travel plans do not establish that Monday's scheduled demonstration has already taken place.