Karnataka SIR: Over 43.5 lakh notices delivered, 91,278 Form 7 applications received

More than 43.5 lakh notices have been delivered to electors as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, while 91,278 Form 7 applications were received till October 4, Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar said on Monday.

Anbukkumar said no voter had been deleted from the electoral roll so far, stressing that the filing of an objection does not automatically lead to deletion.

The notices have been issued to electors falling under the "No Mapping" and "Anomalies" categories as part of the revision exercise.

"Not a single voter has been deleted so far," Anbukkumar said at a press conference, adding that the concerned Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) would conduct an inquiry and take action in accordance with the law wherever required.

Responding to questions on deletion of names through Form 7, he said an ERO has to issue a notice and conduct a hearing involving both the objector and the voter before taking a decision.

The officer is also required to verify the documents submitted by the parties. Only after being satisfied following the inquiry can the ERO decide whether the name should be deleted, he said, citing Sections 16 to 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The CEO's office said 43,82,313 notices had been generated across the state, of which 43,55,818 had been delivered and 26,495 were pending delivery. The delivery rate stood at 99.40 per cent.

Of the delivered notices, 36,89,063 hearings, or 84.69 per cent, had been completed, while 6,66,755 were pending.

Between June 16 and October 4, the state received 9,10,732 Form 6 applications, 4,677 Form 6A applications, 91,278 Form 7 applications and 11,98,484 Form 8 applications, taking the total number of applications received to 22,05,171.

Form 7 is used for objections to the proposed inclusion of a name or for seeking deletion of a name from the electoral roll. The CEO's office said no Form 7 application had been received for objections to proposed inclusion.

Among districts, Bidar recorded the highest number of Form 7 applications at 5,953, followed by Shivamogga with 5,936 and Dakshina Kannada with 5,534.

Belagavi received 4,002 applications, Tumakuru 4,568, Vijayapura 3,808 and Mysuru 3,090. Bangalore Urban recorded 3,365 applications, while BBMP North, South and Central received 1,842, 1,707 and 1,659, respectively.

As of October 5, Karnataka had 4,50,29,916 electors on its rolls, including 2.23 crore men, 2.26 crore women and 2,863 transgender electors.

The last hearing will be held on October 12, while October 22 is the deadline for disposal of claims and objections and the notice phase, according to the CEO's office.

At the request of registered and recognised political parties, lists of electors issued notices under the "No Mapping" and "Anomalies" categories have also been published on the CEO's website.

The CEO's office said Anbukkumar had directed EROs to take action under the law against applicants found to have knowingly made false statements or declarations in Form 6, Form 6A, Form 7 or Form 8, following an inquiry under the relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The office also clarified that electors may find their Part Number and Serial Number changed in the draft rolls because of rationalisation of polling stations and re-serialisation.

Those unable to locate their names in their earlier part have been advised to search using their EPIC number on the Election Commission's voter services website or through the ECINET mobile application.