Karnataka's Draft Voter Rolls Flag 10.79 Million Under ASDDO Category

Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will enter a crucial phase on August 24, when the draft voter lists are scheduled to be published. The release will begin a two-month process for claims and objections, while voters whose records have discrepancies will undergo verification. The state has 5.543 crore registered electors, of whom 4.463 crore, or 80.5 per cent, had their enumeration forms digitised during the first phase of the exercise.

Around 1.079 crore electors were placed under the ASDDO categories, covering voters listed as Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate or Others. Bengaluru recorded the highest proportion of such cases in Karnataka, with about 45 per cent across Bangalore Urban, BBMP North, BBMP Central and BBMP South. Gulbarga followed with 22 per cent, while Mysore, Raichur and Bellary recorded ASDDO shares of 19.9 per cent, 18.75 per cent and 18.16 per cent respectively.

Within the ASDDO category, around 80 lakh electors were marked as absent or shifted, accounting for approximately 14.54 per cent of Karnataka’s total electorate. Such voters will have the opportunity to seek inclusion in the electoral rolls. Eligible voters can use Form 6 for inclusion, while Form 8 can be used for changes of address or corrections in existing electoral records. The large number of voters marked absent or shifted has also prompted concerns from civil society groups, particularly in Bengaluru.

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Of the 4.463 crore electors who are expected to feature in the draft rolls, around 23.4 lakh have been flagged because of incomplete mapping, while another 20.3 lakh have been identified because of anomalies or logical discrepancies. Together, approximately 43.8 lakh electors will receive notices for verification. The discrepancies include issues such as mismatched names and age-related inconsistencies between parents and children, which could indicate errors in the mapping of electoral records.

The verification notices will be generated by Electoral Registration Officers or Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and will provide details of the location, date and time of the hearing. Booth Level Officers will serve the notices to the concerned electors, who will be required to appear with the necessary documents. The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s office has said that verification of these voters and processing applications from eligible people seeking inclusion will be the key priorities after the draft rolls are published.

The claims and objections period will run from August 24 to September 23, giving voters an opportunity to seek corrections or inclusion in the electoral rolls. The notice process and disposal of claims and objections will continue until October 22, after which the final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on October 27. With more than one crore electors placed under ASDDO categories and 43.8 lakh facing verification, the revision process is expected to remain under close public scrutiny as Karnataka moves towards finalising its updated voter list.

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