Karnataka’s draft electoral roll has seen a major reduction in the number of registered voters after the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) with about 1.08 crore names, or 19.5 per cent of the electorate, being left out at the draft stage.
Karnataka is second among the states where large-scale deletions have taken place, behind Telangana, which reported a deletion rate of about 21.6 per cent.
The draft roll was released on August 24 after extensive verification of more than 5.5 crore voters in Karnataka. The new draft has about 4.46 crore electors, as compared to about 5.54 crore names on the electoral roll before the SIR process started.
Why Were So Many Names Omitted
The deletion does not mean that all affected voters have lost all voting rights permanently. The SIR exercise categorised voters into ASDDO groups (Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Other) during enumeration.
According to election officials, more than 1.08 crore voters were put under this category. They say the exercise is to clean up electoral records by identifying people who have moved away, deceased voters, duplicate entries and voters who could not be verified at their registered addresses.
The process has also raised concerns among political parties and civil society groups that genuine voters could be left out. Karnataka Congress earlier in the exercise had expressed concern over large-scale exclusions that could affect eligible voters if verification was not done properly.
Telangana Recorded Higher Deletion
Karnataka’s 19.5 per cent deletion rate comes as Telangana is preparing its own draft electoral roll after an SIR exercise.
Telangana reported that 73.39 lakh voters were left out of its draft roll, which is about 21.7 per cent of its electorate. The exclusions were due to categories that included voters who moved, died, were not traceable or were duplicates.
The changes in both states have put the SIR process under intense public and political scrutiny because of the large number of voters affected.
What Happens Next
The Karnataka draft roll is not the final electoral list. Voters whose names are missing or whose details are inaccurate can apply for a correction or inclusion through the claims and objections process.
The election authorities have also said that eligible residents can apply for enrolment or correction in the required form.
So the next phase will be to determine how many names will be restored after verification. The final electoral roll will therefore reveal the impact of the SIR exercise.
The key message for voters is to check the draft electoral roll and take action on seeing if their names or details are missing or incorrect.
With more than one crore names omitted at the draft stage, the correction and verification process could significantly reshape Karnataka’s final voter list.
