Karnataka SIR Draft Voter List Released With Over 1 Crore Names Excluded
Karnataka has released the first draft electoral roll after SIR, with over 1.07 crore names excluded under various categories and voters given an opportunity to seek corrections.
The first draft electoral roll under Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision has been released, bringing a major update for voters across the state. According to the Chief Electoral Officer, 1,07,96,339 names have been left out of the draft list after the revision exercise. The state now has 5,54,32,314 voters in the draft roll.
The excluded names fall into several categories identified during the SIR exercise. These include voters who could not be traced, people who have permanently moved, deceased voters, duplicate entries and other cases requiring verification.
Why Were Names Removed
The largest category consists of voters who have permanently shifted from their registered addresses. The official figures show 65,45,679 such names. Another 16,39,864 entries were identified as belonging to deceased voters, while 15,17,042 voters were marked absent during the enumeration process.
The exercise also identified 7,09,870 duplicate entries and 3,83,884 voters under other categories.
Bengaluru Sees Major Impact
Bengaluru has recorded one of the biggest changes in the draft electoral roll. The city’s electorate is expected to fall substantially after more than one third of its earlier entries were categorised for exclusion during the revision exercise.
The large number of changes has made it particularly important for residents to check their names and details in the newly released draft list.
Voters Still Have A Chance
The removal from the draft list does not mean that an eligible voter has permanently lost the right to be registered. The Election Commission has opened a claims and objections period from August 24 to September 23. Eligible voters can submit the required forms and supporting information if their names have been left out or if corrections are needed.
Form 6 can be used for inclusion of an eligible voter, while other prescribed forms are available for corrections and related requests.
The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27 after the claims and objections are examined.
Karnataka voters who have recently shifted homes, have spelling or address errors, or cannot find their names should therefore check the draft list rather than assuming that the exclusion is final.
