Karnataka SIR Voter List: Draft Rolls Out August 24 as Over 1 Crore Names Face Review

The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s office is set to release the draft electoral rolls on August 24, marking a major stage in the state’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter records.

The revision has flagged more than 1.07 crore voter entries, accounting for approximately 19.48% of the electorate, under categories that include voters who are absent, have shifted residence, appear more than once in the records, are deceased or fall under other categories requiring verification.

The figures are expected to significantly alter the size of the electoral rolls in several parts of the state.

Bengaluru May See Voter Count Drop Sharply

The impact of the revision is particularly significant in Bengaluru.

The city currently has an electorate of more than 1.03 crore voters. However, the draft electoral rolls are expected to contain only around 56.11 lakh names, following the preliminary verification exercise.

The large difference reflects the number of entries that have been flagged during the SIR process and does not by itself represent the final voter list.

Thousands of Voters Could Get Notices

The election authorities have identified more than 20.35 lakh voter records with logical discrepancies.

In addition, around 23.45 lakh voters have not been able to establish a match with the details contained in the 2002 electoral roll.

Such voters will be notified as part of the next stage of the process. They will have an opportunity to present their documents and explain their eligibility, with hearings to be conducted wherever necessary.

What Voters Can Do After Draft Roll Publication

The publication of the draft roll on August 24 will open the claims and objections period.

Voters who find that their names are missing or that their personal information contains errors can approach the authorities and submit the appropriate forms.

The available forms include:

• Form 6: For inclusion of a name in the electoral roll.
• Form 6A: For eligible overseas voters.
• Form 7: For requesting deletion of a voter entry.
• Form 8: For corrections or changes to details such as name, address and other EPIC information.

The deadline for submitting claims and objections is September 23.

Final Karnataka Electoral Roll Due in October

The draft list published on August 24 will not be the final version. The election authorities will examine claims and objections received during the verification period before completing the revision process.

The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27.

Until then, voters whose records have been flagged will have an opportunity to respond through the prescribed process.

The SIR exercise is aimed at updating Karnataka’s electoral database by identifying entries that may no longer be valid while giving eligible voters an opportunity to ensure their names remain on the rolls.