Bengaluru, June 30

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday warned that people who fail to ensure their names are included in the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise could face difficulties in availing government welfare schemes in the future, urging citizens not to ignore the month-long voter verification drive.

As the SIR commenced across Karnataka, Shivakumar appealed to all eligible voters to verify their names in the electoral roll and complete the enumeration process within the prescribed deadline, describing the exercise as crucial to safeguarding democratic rights.

"Your vote is your right to life," he said, asserting that exclusion from the electoral roll could have wider implications beyond voting.

Referring to developments in other states, he claimed that governments were increasingly relying on electoral records while identifying beneficiaries of welfare schemes and warned that those left out of the voters' list could find it difficult to access government assistance in the future.

Shivakumar specifically referred to Karnataka's flagship welfare schemes, including Griha Jyoti, Griha Lakshmi and pension assistance, and urged people not to take the revision process lightly. He said the Karnataka government would extend all necessary assistance to ensure that every eligible citizen remained on the electoral roll.

The Chief Minister said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would visit households to distribute and collect enumeration forms and appealed to residents to provide accurate personal details along with recent photographs. He also said booth-level help desks and representatives of recognised political parties would be available to assist voters during the exercise.

Stating that Karnataka was under national attention as the revision exercise got underway, Shivakumar urged citizens to protect both their voting rights and democratic participation by cooperating with election officials.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls began across Karnataka on Tuesday and will continue till July 29. The Election Commission aims to cover around 5.5 crore electors through the exercise and has deployed nearly 59,050 Booth Level Officers for door-to-door verification and data collection.

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Lucknow

BSP supremo Mayawati has strongly reacted to the controversy surrounding the alleged theft, embezzlement, and misappropriation of offerings at the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

She said that if the complaints reported in the media are true, then this is a very serious and worrying matter and that fair and strict action should be taken against the culprits. She also advised against politicising the issue.

In a statement released on social media on Tuesday morning, Mayawati said that the reports of theft, embezzlement, and misappropriation of offerings made by devotees at the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya are extremely serious. She said that whoever is guilty in this matter should not be spared under any circumstances.

The BSP chief said that to prevent any future complaints regarding offerings made by devotees, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust should study and adopt the transparent accounting and management systems implemented in other major temples in the country.

Mayawati stated that this would not only resolve the current dispute but also strengthen the faith of devotees.

In her statement, Mayawati stated that "criminalisation of politics, politicisation of crime, politicisation of religion, and blind religiousisation of politics" are not appropriate for a democratic system.

She appealed to political parties and citizens to approach this matter within the framework of the law and the Constitution and to prioritise public interest.

Recently, a controversy has emerged regarding the management of offerings and alleged financial irregularities at the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya. These allegations have raised questions about the trust's functioning and transparency.

Demanding strict action against the culprits, Mayawati also stated that instead of turning the matter into a political controversy, emphasis should be placed on an impartial investigation and a transparent system.

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