This was not the first time it had been done. Moreover, 10 of the 12 times it was undertaken was during the Congress rule.

Only twice was it held when the BJP was in power in the country – in 2002 and in 2025. Also, the voter list had not been revised for the past 20 years.

During that time, crores of people had died and migrated to other places for jobs, marriage, and running businesses. Many had infiltrated into the country too. “We have to find out who died, who shifted to other places, who are the fake voters, and who are duplicate voters,”she said.Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had claimed that 13 crore names had been removed from the rolls.

However, rules of the Election Commission of India decided who was on the voter list. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was not sending his people for the exercise.

In Kerala, the elections took place after the SIR was conducted by government officials, Ms. Karandlaje pointed out.Political parties, she said, had also got the opportunity to appoint booth level agents to verify whether their voters were on the list.

Complaints could be filed anytime after a scrutiny.Of the 13 crore names not on the rolls, 2.8 crore had died, 6.3 crore had permanently shifted to other places, three crore were untraceable, and one crore were duplicate voters as per ECI figures. All parties had the right to know who these people were.

However, the Congress was trying to create anarchy on the issue of SIR, the Union Minister said.Mr. Gandhi first doubted electronic voting machines though these were introduced during the Congress rule and the party and its alliance had gone on to win many elections.

Now, he was speaking about the ECI in other countries. “What does he gain from disparaging India abroad. He should instead speak on it in Parliament,” Ms.

Karandlaje said.Anarchy, she said, would not bring the Congress back to power. It was the voters and the democratic system in the country that determined who the Prime Minister would be.On Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s demand for dissolution of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies on the grounds that all elections were illegal, Ms.

Karandlaje said elections in Kerala too would need to be cancelled. “When the Congress wins, it is touted as a win for democracy. When the BJP wins, it is termed a conspiracy,” she said, pointing out double standards on the issue.What was the reason that the Mr.

Kharge termed the elections illegal. “Is AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal who is behind the demand.

Is it a conspiracy to throw out V.D. Satheesan and make Mr.

Venugopal the Chief Minister?” she asked.A ‘padayatra’ with the slogan ‘Prevent anarchy, protect democracy’ that will be led by Ms. Karandlaje, BJP leader M.

Nagaraja, and BJP State unit president Rajeev Chandrasekhar was held in the State capital on Tuesday evening. Published - November 03, 2026 07:11 pm IST