43.81 lac Karnataka voters face SIR notices as draft rolls trigger complaints over errors

Bengaluru, Aug 29: Karnataka has begun issuing notices to 43,81,006 citizens listed under the anomalies/logical discrepancy and no-mapping (unable to share 2002 data) categories as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even as the draft rolls have triggered complaints from voters over spelling, address and, in some cases, gender errors.

According to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka, generation of notices began on Friday. The notices will be handed over to Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who will deliver them to citizens at their doorsteps. Those receiving notices will have to approach the concerned Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) with specified documents for verification.

Failure to do so could result in their names being removed from the electoral rolls, following which they will have to reapply for inclusion through Form-6.

The notice process comes a week after the draft electoral rolls were published on August 24 as part of the SIR exercise. The New Indian Express reported that citizens have complained that the draft rolls contain errors in names, addresses and gender, despite their having submitted enumeration forms with correct information.

“Despite filling the enumeration form and handing it over to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) with all correct details, I found my name was misspelt in the draft. What is the purpose of filling the form when the errors of 2023 and 2024 electoral sheets have continued,” wondered Netrashree L from Bengaluru.

The errors of 2002 have also been carried on. Similar was the grouse of Lakshmikantha, another elector from Bengaluru, who said her initials, spelling and address had gone wrong. “While filling the form, I had inquired with the BLO and she had assured me that the corrections will be done while updating the new rolls. But it has not been done,” she said.

Shivaprakash K, another voter, said the entire exercise of handing over enumeration forms and asking citizens to fill and submit correct names seems futile when there are errors in the draft.

“Now we are forced to fill forms for corrections and appear before election officials for the mistakes they have done while uploading information. This should be addressed,” he added.

Reacting to this, a senior official from the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, said the house-to-house enumeration exercise was not to make corrections in the electoral rolls, but to update and clean them. It was to establish the citizenship of citizens using the last SIR exercise database of 2002, and to remove dead and duplicate voters from the rolls.

“The BLOs were not authorised to make any corrections to details of electors. Their task was limited to verifying details of voters and uploading information. Citizens who seek to make corrections to their information can now fill Form-8. They can either do it online or contact their respective BLOs or visit polling stations during the special campaign days scheduled for August 29-30 and October 19-20,” the official said, adding that voter ID cards are used for voting purposes only and not as any legal government document for verification.

Under the current SIR schedule, the period for filing claims and objections is from August 24 to September 23, while the notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will continue from August 24 to October 22. The final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on October 27.

The highest number of notices is being generated in Bengaluru Urban, where 9,45,798 citizens fall under the specified categories. This is followed by BBMP North district with 6,12,963 notices, BBMP South with 4,17,611 and BBMP Central with 4,29,345. Bengaluru Rural will see 56,359 notices, while Davanagere has the lowest number at 7,085.

The CEO office has also announced special campaigns to assist citizens with enrolment and corrections. The campaigns are scheduled for August 29-30 and September 19-20. District Election Officers have been directed to ensure that BLOs, EROs and AEROs remain available at polling stations to assist citizens.

During these campaigns, eligible citizens can enrol as fresh voters using Form-6, while those seeking corrections in their electoral details can submit Form-8. Form-7 can also be used to seek deletion of names from the electoral rolls.

Special attention will be given to areas with a high number of people listed under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) category. Bengaluru is a particular focus, with 46,88,744 of Karnataka's total 1,07,96,415 ASDDO entries — 43.42% — concentrated across the city's four districts.

The SIR exercise has therefore put both verification and correction of electoral records in sharp focus, with officials urging citizens to respond to notices where required and use the appropriate forms to rectify errors or seek enrolment before the final rolls are published.