Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday urged citizens to actively participate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, warning that losing the right to vote could also affect access to government welfare benefits. His remarks came as the Election Commission began a month-long house-to-house verification exercise across the state to update the electoral rolls ahead of future elections. Addressing the public, Shivakumar stressed the importance of ensuring that eligible voters have their names included in the electoral rolls.

"The right to vote is the right to live," he said, adding that electoral registration has become increasingly significant as governments are tightening beneficiary verification processes. Referring to developments in West Bengal, he claimed that authorities there had initiated verification of ration beneficiaries based on the SIR exercise and cautioned that similar measures could be adopted elsewhere. "If you lose the right to vote, you'll lose government benefits," he said, urging people not to ignore the ongoing verification drive.

The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision exercise officially began on Tuesday and will continue until July 29, covering more than 5.5 crore electors across Karnataka. During the exercise, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification to update voter records, identify eligible new voters and remove ineligible entries from the electoral rolls. The revision is aimed at improving the accuracy and integrity of the state's voter database.

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To facilitate the process, the Karnataka government has announced the issuance of permanent residential certificates, which can be used as proof of residence during electoral verification. The Revenue Department has issued detailed guidelines for obtaining the certificates, allowing citizens to apply both online through the Seva Sindhu portal and offline at designated citizen service centres, including Atal Jana Snehi Kendras, Nadakacheris, Bengaluru One, Karnataka One and Grama One centres. The move is intended to simplify documentation requirements and ensure that eligible residents are not excluded from the electoral rolls.

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anbukumar said extensive preparations have been made for the statewide exercise. According to the Election Commission, 59,050 Booth Level Officers, 7,556 BLO Supervisors, 224 Electoral Registration Officers and 336 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers have been trained and deployed for the revision. In addition, more than 1.1 lakh Booth Level Agents nominated by various political parties have also undergone training to assist in the process. The month-long revision is expected to play a key role in ensuring that Karnataka's electoral rolls remain accurate, comprehensive and up to date ahead of future elections.

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