The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka concluded on October 27, with the State losing about 99.76 lakh voters from its original electorate of 5.5 crore, bringing the total electorate to 4,54,55,689.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka, the final rolls comprise 2,25,83,107 male voters, 2,29,14,063 female voters and 2,841 third-gender electors. Over 6.83 lakh voters are in the 18-19 age group, while 3,92,134 are aged 85 and above. There are 3,252 NRI voters as well, the CEO added.
Karnataka CEO V Anbukkumar said about 19.48 per cent or 1.08 crore voters were removed after being categorised as ASDDO (Absent, shifted, dead, duplicate and others).
“Subsequently, several people submitted applications. After issuing notices, conducting inquiries and completing the hearings, we have published the final electoral roll today,” he said. He recalled that when the draft roll was published, the number of electors stood at 4,46,80,151. Since June 16, 8,19,714 electors have been added to the electoral roll.
The largest chunk of voters removed from the draft list were those classified as ‘permanently shifted’. This category accounted for 65.45 lakh voters, or 11.8 per cent of the ASDDO list. The total number of people who made it to the final list after the notices phase was 43.2 lakh out of 43.82 lakh, with 61,867 voters excluded from the final list following the notices.
The State has the largest number of voters between the age of 30 to 39 years of age, accounting for 1.02 crore of the 4.5 crore voters at present.
The two-month claims, notices and objections phase, which began on August 24, saw about 43.8 lakh of the 4.4 crore voters on the draft list (4,46,35,975) being issued notices. Officials said about 60,000 of them were excluded from the final list. Claims and objections could be filed only during the first month of this phase, until September 23.
Between June 16 and September 23, 7.87 lakh citizens sought inclusion in the final voter list through Form 6 applications, while 4,530 NRIs sought inclusion through Form 6A. Objections to existing voters and requests for deletion, filed either by voters themselves or their families, amounted to 58,475.
Meanwhile, 10.99 lakh voters from the draft list sought modifications to their details, ranging from spelling corrections to changes in polling booth locations.
The SIR exercise in the State began on June 20, with the deployment of 59,050 booth-level officers (BLOs), 332 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) and 224 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). There were 5,905 BLO supervisors, each overseeing 10 BLOs. The district commissioners were designated as District Election Officers (DEOs), with 34 such officers across the state.
The number of BLOs and AEROs increased over time to 60,932 and 4,258, respectively. Recognised political parties appointed 1.33 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs) during the enumeration phase to ensure the forms reached voters. These BLAs were also instrumental in filing objections against voters on the list during the subsequent claims and objections period.
The enumeration phase began on June 30 and was granted two extensions. While it was originally scheduled to end on July 29, the CEO’s office announced a 10-day extension to August 8 on July 15, owing to the large number of voters requiring ASDDO classification. The deadline was subsequently extended by another 10 days.
ECI signals early 2027 Assembly polls
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has directed Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to transfer election-related officers ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls, likely early next year. The directive covers officials posted in their home districts or who have completed, or are due to complete, three years in a district within the specified period. Transfers of officers involved in electoral roll revision must await final publication of the rolls.