Vedavyas Kamath challenges Congress to produce proof of wrongful voter deletions in Mangaluru South

Vedavyas Kamath challenges Congress to produce proof of wrongful voter deletions in Mangaluru South

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Nov 3, 2026: Mangaluru City South MLA Vedavyas Kamath has challenged Congress leaders to produce evidence of even a single case of wrongful deletion of a voter’s name from the electoral rolls in his constituency, accusing the party of making baseless allegations about large-scale irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference at the Atal Seva Kendra on Tuesday, Kamath alleged that Congress was making unfounded claims about the SIR process and attempting to create unrest across the country.

Instead of staging protests outside Election Commission offices, Congress leaders should identify voters listed under the ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate) categories in Karnataka and ensure that eligible voters submit the necessary applications through the prescribed procedure, he said.

"Let Congress leaders bring forward even a single voter from my Mangaluru City South constituency whose name has been illegally deleted despite submitting all the required documents. They should produce documentary evidence. If they cannot show even one such case, Congress leaders must publicly apologise for making false allegations," Kamath challenged.

He alleged that Congress, unable to effectively take on the Narendra Modi-led Union government or win public confidence, was attempting to discredit the Election Commission and the SIR exercise through protests. He further claimed that such demonstrations were aimed at creating disorder in the country and drew parallels with incidents of violence in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France and other parts of Europe.

Kamath said SIR was not a process introduced during the BJP government’s tenure and that similar exercises had been conducted 12 times in the country. He maintained that the revision was being carried out in accordance with constitutional provisions to remove names of deceased persons, voters who had shifted residence and those registered at multiple locations.

Criticising Congress’s opposition, he said the party had accepted the SIR process when it was conducted during the tenures of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, but was questioning it when undertaken under a BJP-led government.

He clarified that the SIR exercise was not conducted by Union government departments. Nearly 99 per cent of the work was being carried out by officials from state government departments, including Revenue and Education. The process also involved Booth Level Agents (BLA-1 and BLA-2) representing different political parties, ensuring transparency, he said.

Kamath appreciated the efforts of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and officials at various levels, stating that they had worked diligently despite considerable pressure. He expressed disappointment over what he described as Congress’s attempts to undermine the credibility of these officials.

Questioning Congress’s stand, he asked whether the Election Commission and electoral processes had been considered fair when the party won elections in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh. He said the BJP had accepted the people’s verdict even when it lost elections in these states.

He also referred to statements by the Kerala Chief Minister and Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi regarding the SIR process, claiming that their remarks supported the conduct of the exercise.

Kamath further accused the Congress of having a history of electoral manipulation, citing the selection of India’s first Prime Minister. He claimed that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had secured a clear majority in the internal Congress elections but Jawaharlal Nehru was nevertheless chosen as Prime Minister, describing it as the country’s first instance of "vote theft".

He said questioning the people’s electoral mandate and creating doubts about constitutional institutions amounted to an affront to the Constitution. He demanded a public apology from Congress leaders and warned that the party would face further public rejection if it continued making such allegations.

BJP Mandal president Ramesh Kandettu, general secretaries Ramesh Hegde and Lalesh Kumar, district general secretary Premanand Shetty, secretary Poornima M, Mandal Mahila Morcha president Poornima Rao, Minority Morcha president Deepak D’Souza, former MUDA chairman Ravishankar Mijar, former Fisheries Development Corporation chairman Nithin Kumar and Mandal secretary Sumathi Chandrashekar were present.