1.08 crore Karnataka voters flagged in SIR; Shivakumar seeks longer claims window

According to the draft rolls for Karnataka issued by EC on August 24, around 43.8 lakh voters will be issued notices for “logical discrepancies” during the next phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

‘Extension eminently feasible’

Shivakumar said in his letter that with Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled only in 2028 and local polls only by the end of the year, EC has sufficient time to ensure its dual responsibility of “preparing accurate electoral rolls and ensuring that no genuine and eligible voter is excluded”.

Under the request to “extend the period for claims and objections”, the Karnataka CM has said the “period should be sufficiently long to enable genuine electors whose names are absent from the draft roll, including those in the ASDDO category, to ascertain their status and file claims through Form 6.”

“With no election due in Karnataka in the near future, such an extension is eminently feasible,” especially on account of the ECI manual permitting extensions, he said.

A significant number of those categorised as absent may be genuine electors who could not submit their enumeration forms because they were away from home for work, health or other legitimate reasons when the BLO visited, he said.

Logical discrepancies

The Karnataka CM said that “the proposed period of roughly 45 days for issuing notices and disposing of cases concerning ‘logical discrepancies’ and the absence of a link to the 2002 roll is highly compressed.”

“Giving an elector about a week to respond, followed by a second notice, may place an unreasonable burden on working people, migrants, and the elderly, particularly where documents must be obtained, or travel is required,” he said.

“A minimum of three to four weeks should therefore be provided to each elector to respond and furnish the necessary documents, ensuring a meaningful opportunity to establish eligibility before any adverse decision is taken,” Shivakumar said.

“In Bengaluru alone, 46.88 lakh electors have been placed under the ASDDO category. This translates into about 1.5 crore voters in Karnataka facing deletion unless they submit their claims for continuation or fresh inclusion,” the Karnataka CM added.