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1.08 crore voters marked for verification in Karnataka SIR, Congress seeks more time
The Karnataka Congress has said 1.08 crore of the 5.54 crore voters mapped for the SIR exercise are classified as Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Other (ASDDO).
As of August 12, around 1.08 crore voters or nearly one-fifth of the 5.54 crore electors mapped for the SIR were in the ASDDO category. (Express File Photo)
Raising concerns over the possible wrongful exclusion of genuine voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Karnataka, the Congress has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking a month-long extension of the enumeration phase.
In the letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, Congress MLC Ramesh Babu highlighted that around a fifth of the 5.54 crore mapped for SIR were in the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Other (ASDDO) list.
“In view of the exceptionally large number of electors presently appearing in the ASDDO category and the substantial number of electors reported as shifted, we request that the Commission further extend the period of BLO house-to-house verification by at least one additional month, up to 17 September 2026…,” Babu said in the letter.
As of August 12, around 1.08 crore voters or nearly one-fifth of the 5.54 crore electors mapped for SIR were in the ASDDO category.
“The very magnitude of these figures demonstrates that the existing period available to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and electors is insufficient to ensure proper verification in every household,” Babu said in the August 11 letter.
He requested ECI to give voters enough time and opportunity to contact the booth level officer, submit necessary forms or documents and correct any errors.
Noting that the two extensions provided for SIR in Karnataka by recognising “the practical difficulties in completing the SIR exercise within the originally prescribed period”, Babu said the present scale of ASDDO cases requires an extension of another month so that voters can rectify any errors.
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He also sought that the ECI publish updated and accurate BLO or BLO supervisor contact information and ensure that all electors can readily contact the concerned election officials. He added that a transparent mechanism through which every elector can ascertain the reason for being placed in the ASDDO category and seek immediate correction should also be provided.
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