SIR: Karnataka records 17.91% voter roll reduction, 99.32 lakh names deleted

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Oct 28, 2026: Karnataka has recorded a 17.91% reduction in its electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with 99.32 lakh voters removed from the list, according to Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar. The percentage reduction is the highest among states that have conducted the exercise.

Addressing a press conference, Anbukkumar said the final electoral rolls, published on Tuesday, comprise 4.55 crore voters, including 2.25 crore men, 2.29 crore women and 2,841 persons in the ‘others’ category.

The state had 5.54 crore voters when the electoral rolls were frozen on June 16, before the revision process began. According to National Commission on Population projections, Karnataka’s population is estimated at 6.87 crore. The final electoral rolls put the state’s elector-to-population ratio at 66.11%.

The SIR process began in Karnataka on June 30 and concluded on October 27.

Over 1.07 crore voters flagged during verification

During door-to-door verification, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) flagged 1,07,96,339 voters under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Deleted and Others (ASDDO) categories.

Consequently, the draft electoral rolls published on August 24 contained 4.46 crore voters, excluding those flagged under ASDDO. Civil society groups had questioned the figures, describing the number of excluded voters as excessive and arguing that eligible voters could have been left out.

Additionally, notices were issued to 43.81 lakh voters over mapping issues and logical discrepancies. These included 23.45 lakh cases of ‘no mapping’ and 20.35 lakh cases involving ‘logical discrepancies’.

Anbukkumar said 61,960 voters from these 43.81 lakh cases had been deleted from the final rolls. He explained that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) had generated Form 7 applications to delete names in cases where voters were found ineligible following hearings.

When asked about foreign nationals found on the electoral rolls, the CEO said the number was below 1,000.

According to sources, 771 foreign nationals were identified across Karnataka, including 688 Nepalese nationals. Only one Bangladeshi national was reportedly found on the rolls. Bengaluru North accounted for 580 cases, of which 542 involved Nepalese nationals.

Over 8.19 lakh voters added after draft rolls

Anbukkumar said 8,19,714 voters were added to the final electoral rolls after publication of the draft list. During this period, approximately 10.08 lakh names were added and 1.88 lakh deleted, resulting in a net increase of around 8.19 lakh voters.

The additions included 3,13,023 young voters aged between 18 and 19 years.

The CEO said the remaining additions could include voters who had initially been flagged under ASDDO during the draft revision. Based on the figures, 5,06,691 voters were added beyond the young-voter category.

No deletions based solely on bulk Form 7 applications

Responding to concerns over bulk Form 7 applications submitted in some constituencies to seek the deletion of voters’ names, Anbukkumar said no voter had been removed solely on the basis of such applications.

He maintained that the process was transparent and urged eligible voters whose names were missing from the electoral rolls to apply using Form 6. Their names would be included after due verification, he said.

361 appeals filed against SIR decisions

Anbukkumar said 361 appeals had been filed before the respective District Electoral Officers or District Magistrates over decisions taken during the revision process.

Of these, nine complaints had been disposed of, while 352 remained pending for inquiry. Parties dissatisfied with the decisions of the district authorities can file a second appeal before the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka.

14 officials died during SIR period

The CEO also disclosed that 14 officials had died during the SIR period. However, he clarified that it was not possible to conclude that their deaths were directly linked to the revision exercise.

The officials’ details would be submitted to the Election Commission of India to facilitate compensation for their families, he said.