The Congress government in Karnataka faces an embarrassing internal dispute after Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, days before the INDIA bloc’s planned protest in New Delhi on November 1.

Jarkiholi said the Congress had never opposed the exercise in Karnataka. He said the party had only raised concerns about its implementation in states such as West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar.

“Due to proper training and groundwork, the revision was done correctly in Karnataka. We want other states to follow the same model,” Jarkiholi said on Wednesday. On the deletion of around one crore names, he said the removals mainly involved duplicate entries, deceased persons and voters who had moved elsewhere.

However, Home Minister Priyank Kharge challenged Jarkiholi’s assessment, citing alleged irregularities in Kalaburagi and Vijayapura districts. Kharge alleged that pre-filled Form 7 applications, which are used to request voter deletions, were submitted in bulk without proper verification.

“In Vijayapura, over 40 to 50 living people were marked dead on paper. They had to visit local offices in person to prove they were alive. Similar issues have surfaced across the state, and this pattern needs a thorough probe,” Kharge Jr said.

The BJP seized on the disagreement to target the Congress leadership. In a post on X, the party said Karnataka Congress leaders were contradicting Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against the Election Commission.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also pointed out the difference between the state minister’s defence of the revision and the Congress leadership’s allegations that the process was rigged.

The dispute recalls a similar controversy in August last year, when Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna was asked to step down after openly questioning the Congress high command’s position on "vote theft."