Karnataka seeks more time for electoral roll claims as 1.5 crore face scrutiny

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday appealed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to extend the period for claims and objections in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying no eligible citizen should be left out.In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Shivakumar said that of Karnataka's 5.54 crore electors, 1.08 crore have been placed in the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) category.He also said that after the draft roll was published on August 24, verification notices are expected to be issued to around 43.8 lakh electors over "logical discrepancies" or the absence of a link to the 2002 roll, taking the total number of voters facing possible deletion in the state to about 1.5 crore unless they file claims for continuation or fresh inclusion.Shivakumar said that in Bengaluru alone, 46.88 lakh electors have been placed in the ASDDO category.

He said a significant number of those marked 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 Booth Level Officer visited.He also said electors who shifted to a different polling station were not given an opportunity to submit enumeration forms at their new residence during the house-to-house visit by Booth Level Officers, while their names had been deleted from the rolls at their earlier address.Seeking an extension, Shivakumar said, "The claims and objections 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."

He added that with no election due in Karnataka in the near future, such an extension was feasible.He urged the Chief Election Commissioner to direct the Chief Electoral Officer to instruct District Election Officers to convene Ward Committee meetings in urban areas and Gram Sabha meetings in rural areas with adequate advance publicity. He also appealed for adequate time for electors facing verification, saying the proposed period of about 45 days for issuing notices and disposing of cases related to logical discrepancies and the absence of a link to the 2002 roll was 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," Shivakumar said.According to him, each elector should be given a minimum of three to four weeks to respond and submit the required documents so that there is a meaningful opportunity to establish eligibility before any adverse decision is taken.Shivakumar said the SIR must protect the voting rights of every eligible citizen while ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the electoral roll."

The Election Commission has the dual responsibility of preparing accurate electoral rolls and ensuring that no genuine and eligible voter is excluded. These objectives are not in conflict. With adequate time and proper processes, both can be achieved," he said.He said the state government was ready to provide all possible assistance, including mobilising the local administration for Gram Sabha and Ward Committee meetings, undertaking wide publicity to reach affected voters, and offering any other coordination or logistical support required by the Commission."

The objective must be an electoral roll that the people of Karnataka can trust: one in which every eligible citizen is included, every ineligible entry is removed, and no citizen is deprived of the franchise merely for want of adequate time, information or opportunity to establish his or her eligibility," Shivakumar said.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 25, 2026 19:24 IST