Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 10: Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has crossed the 100% mark in digitisation of enumeration forms, with forms of all 5.54 crore electors in the state now digitised, according to data from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

The enumeration phase completed the digitisation on Sunday, August 9. Of the state’s 5,54,32,314 electors, enumeration forms of 4,45,18,538 electors were signed and received by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), while 1,09,13,776 electors, or 19.69%, were marked under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) category.

Of those placed under ASDDO, 15,65,838 electors (2.82%) were recorded as absent or untraceable, 65,85,791 (11.88%) as permanently shifted, 16,35,759 (2.95%) as dead, and 6,92,272 (1.26%) as duplicate or already enrolled. Another 4,27,119 electors (0.77%) were placed in the ‘others’ category, which includes those unwilling to sign the enumeration forms.

The digitisation data showed that 1,76,68,045 electors (31.87%) had self-mapped their names to previous electoral rolls, while 2,34,54,791 (42.31%) were mapped through their progeny. A further 33,61,876 electors, or 6.06%, fell under the ‘no mapping’ category, indicating that they could not find their own or their family members’ names in the 2002 electoral rolls.

The CEO’s office has also received applications from electors seeking inclusion in the rolls, corrections and other changes during the ongoing revision. Between June 16 and August 8, a total of 12.68 lac applications were received. Of these, 3,95,781 were Form 6 applications seeking inclusion in the electoral rolls, while 8,37,514 were Form 8 applications.

Form 8 is used for requests including shifting of residence, correction of entries in the electoral roll, replacement of an Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC), and updating a voter’s status as a person with disability (PwD).

Separately, 7,05,062 electors have submitted their enumeration forms, of which around 9,000 were yet to be verified by BLOs, according to the CEO’s office.

Officials said electors whose enumeration forms have not been signed and submitted to BLOs will not be included in the electoral rolls. This includes those marked as absent or untraceable and those who have permanently shifted. Electors categorised as dead or duplicate will be removed from the rolls as part of the revision.

Those listed under the ‘no mapping’ category, including electors unable to provide their previous SIR details, will be issued notices at a later stage. They will be asked to submit the documents specified in the enumeration form to establish their eligibility.

Under the revised SIR schedule, electors have time until August 17 to verify the list of voters categorised under ASDDO, which has been uploaded on the Election Commission’s website. The list has also been shared with recognised political parties and Booth Level Agents.

Officials said electors or political parties who identify discrepancies in the ASDDO list can approach the concerned BLO or Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and seek corrections. Names of eligible electors who have submitted Form 6 applications will be included in the final electoral rolls.