Massive Reduction in Karnataka's Voter Base
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has unveiled the draft electoral roll for Karnataka following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The data reveals a significant decrease in the number of eligible voters, with 10.8 million names—approximately 19.5% of the previous electorate—omitted. This marks one of the most substantial deletions among major Indian states, surpassed only by Telangana.
Before the SIR exercise commenced on June 20, the state recorded 55.4 million electors. The current draft roll now stands at 44.6 million. According to Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar, these deletions occurred after booth level officers categorized individuals as Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate, or Others (ASDDO).
Urban Centers Hit Hardest
The impact of these removals is most evident in urban hubs. Bengaluru experienced the most dramatic decline, with its voter count shrinking by 42.5%, totaling 4.8 million removals. Other significant drops were noted in Gulbarga at 22% and Mysuru at 19.9%. Conversely, districts like Udupi, Haveri, and Uttara Kannada saw the lowest deletion rates, ranging between 6% and 8.7%.
The Path to the Final Roll
The current figures are not final. Approximately 4.4 million individuals currently on the draft roll remain vulnerable to removal due to discrepancies or a lack of mapping to the 2002 electoral rolls. If these names are excised, total deletions could climb to 15.2 million, or 27.4% of the original list.
- Current Draft Electors: 44,635,975
- Male Voters: 22,159,240
- Female Voters: 22,473,864
- Other Category: 2,871
The second stage of the process, involving claims and objections, is active until September 23. Notices will be sent to over 4.3 million electors with form anomalies. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on October 27.
