Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has urged the Election Commission of India to extend the time available for submitting claims and objections and verification of voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Mr. Shivakumar said the scale of names placed under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) categories and those facing verification over “logical discrepancies” warranted adequate time and a proper verification process.

According to the letter, nearly 1.08 crore of Karnataka’s 5.54 crore electors have been placed in the ASDDO category. Following publication of the draft rolls on August 24, around 43.8 lakh electors are expected to receive notices over “logical discrepancies” or the absence of a link to the 2002 electoral roll.

‘Mobility should not mean disenfranchisement’

Mr. Shivakumar said a significant number of voters categorised as “Absent” could be genuine electors who were away from home when Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited them, including for work, health or other reasons.

Similarly, voters who had shifted to another polling station were not given an opportunity to submit enumeration forms at their new addresses during the house-to-house exercise, he said.

“In Bengaluru and other cities, even moving across the street can mean a change of polling station,” the Chief Minister said, pointing out that such voters would now have to file Form 6 for inclusion in the rolls.

He expressed concern that voters categorised as Absent or Shifted would not receive the notices being issued to those facing “logical discrepancies” and “unmapped” status, and could therefore remain unaware that their names had been deleted.

“Mobility should not translate into disenfranchisement,” Mr. Shivakumar said.

Longer verification period

The Chief Minister sought an extension of the claims and objections period so that voters whose names are missing from the draft rolls, including those in the ASDDO categories, have sufficient time to ascertain their status and file claims.

He referred to the 2023 Manual of Electoral Roll and said the prescribed period could be extended by the Election Commission through a notification.

Mr. Shivakumar also sought a minimum of three to four weeks for voters facing verification over “logical discrepancies” or lack of a link to the 2002 roll to respond and produce documents.

He said the proposed process, involving notices and disposal of cases within about 45 days, could put an unreasonable burden on working people, migrants and the elderly, particularly when documents need to be obtained or voters have to travel.

Ward meetings, Gram Sabhas sought

The Chief Minister also urged the CEO to specifically direct District Election Officers to convene Ward Committee meetings in urban areas and Gram Sabhas in rural areas, with adequate advance publicity.

He said the draft rolls should be read out at these meetings so that omissions and errors could be identified and corrected.

While referring to the CEO’s August 20 communication on the provision, Mr. Shivakumar said merely referring to the procedure without specifically directing the meetings could result in it becoming a “pro forma compliance” rather than an effective mechanism for detecting errors.

More officials sought

The Chief Minister also sought an increase in the number of Additional Electoral Registration Officers and District Election Officers in districts with a high number of ASDDO cases and “logical discrepancies”.

He said the large number of objections and applications expected during the claims process, combined with the limited time available, could place an enormous workload on the existing machinery.

The State government, he said, was ready to provide assistance, including mobilising local administration for Gram Sabha and Ward Committee meetings, undertaking publicity campaigns and providing logistical support.

“The objective must be an electoral roll that the people of Karnataka can trust,” he added.