Karnataka Completes Voter Form Distribution as Over 52 Lakh Names Marked for Verification

Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls has reached a major milestone, with election officials confirming that the distribution of voter enumeration forms has been completed across the state. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office said Booth Level Officers have successfully distributed all 5.54 crore forms, marking the completion of the first phase of the large scale voter verification exercise.

While the distribution process has concluded, authorities have identified nearly 52.97 lakh voters under the ASDDO category, which includes individuals who are absent, shifted, deceased, duplicate or fall under other verification related classifications. Officials said these names will not appear in the draft electoral roll scheduled for publication on August 17 unless the required verification is completed. They also clarified that any genuine errors found during the review process would be corrected.

Election authorities reported that 3.85 crore completed forms have already been submitted by voters. Among them, around 1.56 crore voters have completed self mapping, while 1.93 crore people have successfully finished progeny mapping as part of the verification process. Officials believe these figures reflect strong public participation in the ongoing revision of the electoral rolls.

However, the digitization process is still underway. According to the Election Commission, only 69.51 percent of the submitted information has been uploaded into the digital system through the Booth Level Officer application. Officials said the process has slowed because of difficulties in locating and matching voter records from the 2002 Special Intensive Revision, along with challenges related to self mapping and progeny mapping data.

Authorities have urged voters who have not yet submitted their forms to complete the process before the August 8 deadline. Every eligible voter who submits the required documents before that date will have their name considered for inclusion in the draft electoral roll to be published on August 17.

Officials also explained that if a voter’s mapping information is unavailable or does not match existing records, a notice will be issued requesting additional verification. In such cases, voters will be asked to submit any one of the 11 approved supporting documents listed on the back of the application form. The Electoral Registration Officer will review these applications before making a final decision ahead of the publication of the final electoral roll on October 19.

To make the process easier, the Election Commission has advised voters facing difficulties in completing the forms or tracing older records to seek assistance from their local Booth Level Officer or Booth Level Agent representing recognized political parties. Citizens have also been encouraged to collect a signed acknowledgement receipt after submitting their completed forms.

Officials further revealed that around 17.19 lakh forms, representing approximately 3.1 percent of the total submissions, were received without any mapping information. These applicants may receive notices after the publication of the draft electoral roll asking them to provide the necessary supporting documents before their names are finalized.

The Election Commission has reiterated that the ongoing verification exercise is intended to improve the accuracy of Karnataka’s electoral rolls while ensuring that every eligible voter is given an opportunity to complete the verification process before the final list is released.