Karnataka SIR: 43.80 lakh voters to get verification notices
Mangalore Today News Network
Bengaluru, Aug 21, 2026: As many as 43.80 lakh voters in Karnataka are set to receive notices seeking verification after the draft electoral rolls are published on August 24. Of the 4.46 crore voters included in the draft rolls, 23.45 lakh cases involve “no mapping” of 2002 SIR data, while 20.35 lakh have anomalies such as name or age mismatches. Together, the notices account for 9.81% of the forms submitted.
After publication of the draft rolls, respective Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will issue notices to voters in both categories. Booth-level officers (BLOs) will deliver the notices, which will be issued in any two of Kannada, English, Urdu and Marathi, depending on the region.
Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar said the notice will specify the date, time and venue of the hearing, the nature of the discrepancy and the documents required for verification. Voters can appear in person with the documents or upload them through a QR code provided on the notice. The list of voters issued notices will also be displayed at the respective polling stations.
Hearings will be conducted at the concerned polling station or gram panchayat office. Based on the documents submitted, the ERO will decide whether to accept or reject the voter’s inclusion.
Voters can submit any of the 11 documents approved by the Election Commission, along with Aadhaar as proof of identity. In all “no mapping” cases, the documents will be verified by the District Election Officer (DEO).
If a voter fails to attend the first hearing, a final notice will be issued. Failure to appear for the second hearing could result in the voter’s name being marked for deletion.
The ERO will issue a speaking order before initiating deletion through Form 7. The voter can appeal against the order before the DEO within 15 days and before the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days of the DEO’s decision. A deleted voter can also apply for inclusion as a new voter through Form 6.
Those who apply before September 23, during the claims and objections period, can be included in the final electoral roll scheduled for October 27. Applications submitted after September 23 will be processed after the final SIR rolls and included in supplementary rolls.
A voter will be declared “ineligible” if they fail to meet any of the four eligibility criteria: being 18 or above, an Indian citizen, of sound mind and not barred by a court. Such persons cannot seek inclusion through Form 6.
Anbukkumar said the process would be transparent, with BLOs required to upload photographs of notice delivery at the voter’s residence, the hearing attendance sheet and a group photograph of the hearing on the official app.
In view of the large number of cases, the Election Commission will appoint additional Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). Karnataka has 200 EROs, and the additional officers will help process the 43.80 lakh notices within the 56-day period from August 24 to October 22.
During the claims and objections period from August 24 to September 23, first-time voters and those marked as absent or shifted and excluded from the draft rolls can apply for inclusion through Form 6, deletion through Form 7 or corrections through Form 8.
The highest number of notices is expected in Bengaluru. BBMP North has 6.13 lakh cases, followed by Bengaluru Urban with 5.46 lakh, BBMP Central with 4.29 lakh and BBMP South with 4.18 lakh. Kodagu, Kolar, Mandya, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada have comparatively fewer cases.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government told the Legislative Assembly that the SIR exercise had not identified any Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Iranian nationals possessing Aadhaar or ration cards or availing themselves of government benefits. The response came amid Opposition allegations that the Congress government was facilitating illegal immigrants.