As confusion persists over missing names in the 2002 electoral rolls during Karnataka's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukkumar has urged voters unable to trace their own or their parents' details to submit signed enumeration forms with the information available, assuring that this is sufficient to ensure their inclusion in the draft electoral rolls.
The draft electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on August 5, after which voters will have an opportunity to verify their details and file claims or objections if any discrepancies are found.
Election Commission officials said submitting a signed enumeration form to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) is the most reliable way to ensure a voter's name is considered for inclusion in the draft rolls, even if their details cannot immediately be matched with the 2002 electoral database.
Officials added that the Election Commission has completed more than 90% of a voter-mapping exercise that links electors listed in the 2002 electoral rolls with family members who became eligible to vote in subsequent years. They said the exercise is expected to reduce logical inconsistencies during the verification process.
After the draft rolls are published, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will issue written notices to voters whose names cannot be traced in the 2002 rolls or whose details do not match official records. Such voters will be asked to submit supporting documents listed on the reverse of the enumeration form. The ERO will examine the documents and decide each case on its merits.
As of Friday, 89% of the state's 5.5 crore enumeration forms had been distributed, with more than 51% of Karnataka's 59,050 polling booths completing 100% distribution. However, only 19.3% of the distributed forms have been filled and digitised.
Online submissions remain negligible, accounting for just 0.3% of the total, largely due to mismatches between Aadhaar and voter ID details that have prevented successful online verification.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has flagged more than 3.3 lakh electors as absent or untraceable, shifted, deceased, duplicate, or falling under the "other" category. These cases will be shared with political parties through Booth Level Agents for field verification before the electoral rolls are finalised.