Karnataka CM Shivakumar, Congress legislators to join Delhi protest against SIR on Oct. 12

File photo of Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar | Photo Credit: The Hindu Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and ruling Congress legislators from Karnataka will be in New Delhi on Monday (October 12, 2026) to participate in the All India Congress Committee’s protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Sunday (October 11, 2026), Mr Shivakumar said the Congress would hold its own protest against the SIR exercise and demand the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation.Anti-CEC protest LIVE updatesAsked whether the Congress was supporting the protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), he said the party was taking its own course of action, while some INDIA bloc allies had participated in the other protest.“We are holding our protest tomorrow. I had said that we did not want to go to Delhi in large numbers, but our legislators will be there. I am also going to Delhi to protect every voter,” he said.“You cannot delete voters from electoral rolls. How can you delete the names of voters in Karnataka? This is not democracy. We have to protect the right to vote of Dalits, minorities and backward-class people,” he said.Mr. Shivakumar has frequently participated in protests organised by the Congress in Delhi under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi against the NDA government and the Chief Election Commissioner.On October 1, 2026, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues staged a dharna on the premises of the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bengaluru, demanding the registration of a criminal case and an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to delete eligible voters’ names using Form 7 applications.Criticising the Centre for shutting down the internet in Delhi during protest on October 10, Mr Shivakumar said the Prime Minister should explain whether the country was witnessing democracy or an emergency.“Everyone has the right to protest. Detaining people on flights and elected representatives is an insult to the nation and democracy,” he said.India was known across the world for its democratic traditions, he said, adding that such incidents would damage the country’s reputation. The Centre should allow protesters to meet the Chief Election Commissioner, he said, stressing that criticism was part of public life.Asked about an open letter by 124 former IAS, IFS and other civil service officers defending the Election Commission and the SIR exercise and arguing that allegations of vote-rigging should be backed by credible evidence, Mr Shivakumar said, "The officers have done their duty. Congratulations to them. But our protest represents the voice of the country, not the voice of any political party.” Published - October 11, 2026 12:12 pm IST