Veteran actor Prakash Raj has alleged that his name has been removed from the voter list in Bengaluru following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, prompting him to question the process and the documents he may need to restore his voting rights.
In a video shared on Instagram on Tuesday, Raj said he was among the voters whose names had been deleted from the electoral roll. He pointed out that he was born and brought up in the constituency and had spent his school and college years there.
Raj also highlighted his political association with the constituency, saying he had contested the Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru Central as an independent candidate.
“I am one of the 65 lakh voters whose vote right has been deleted from Bangalore constituency after SIR,” Raj said, describing the development as a “joke” and adding that he would find out the procedure and documents required to get his name restored.
Questioning the authorities, he said the power to delete eligible voters could not take away citizens’ ability to exercise their democratic rights.
The SIR exercise has triggered a wider debate over deletions from electoral rolls and the verification process. The Election Commission has maintained that deletions primarily relate to deceased voters, individuals who have permanently shifted, duplicate entries and voters who could not be traced despite repeated verification.
Critics of the exercise, however, have raised concerns over the verification process, difficulties faced by genuine voters in furnishing documents and the possibility of eligible voters being left out of revised electoral rolls.
The source material also cites large-scale deletions in states including Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Bihar, with Tamil Nadu alone reportedly witnessing nearly 70 lakh names being removed following the exercise.
Raj’s remarks have added to the political and public debate over the SIR process, particularly concerning the restoration of names of voters who believe they have been wrongly excluded.