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The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s office has listed nine criteria for flagging voters under “anomalies” or “logical discrepancies” during the ongoing SIR. More than 20 lakh electors in Karnataka have been flagged under this category and will receive notices seeking clarification.
The criteria relate largely to inconsistencies in the way an elector’s details have been mapped to the previous SIR electoral rolls, including differences in names, unusual age gaps between family members and discrepancies in parent-child relationships.
The criteria assume significance, as Karnataka’s draft electoral roll, published on August 24, has 4,46,80,151 electors. Of these, 20,35,835 have been categorised as having anomalies or logical discrepancies, while another 23,45,500 have been placed in the no-mapping category. Together, 43,81,335 electors, or 9.82% of the draft electorate, are set to receive notices.
According to the criteria issued by the CEO’s office, an elector can be flagged if the age difference between them and a parent to whom they have been linked is less than 15 years or more than 50 years. A similar anomaly is flagged if the age difference between an elector and three mapped grandparents is less than 40 years.
A mismatch in the father’s name between the current electoral roll and the previous SIR roll is also among the criteria.
The list also includes cases where two people mapped as children of the same parent have an age gap of less than nine months. Another criterion covers cases where six or more people have been mapped as the children of the same parent, with the system treating this as a possible indication of an incorrect match.
An anomaly is also generated where a parent linked to an elector was present in the current electoral roll but was considered invalid, resulting in all progenies mapped to that parent being flagged.
The remaining criteria concern discrepancies in an elector’s own name or their father’s name between the current roll and the previous SIR roll.
The notices will be handed over by Booth Level Officers and will mention the reason for the notice, the category under which the elector has been flagged, the date and location of the hearing and the documents required for verification.
The identification of these criteria comes after questions were raised over the lack of clarity around the “logical discrepancy” category during the SIR process.
Earlier this month, the Election Commission of India (ECI), in response to an RTI application filed by a member of the civil society coalition My Vote, My Right, said it did not have information on what constituted a logical discrepancy. The Commission said the information sought was “not available” with it and may be available with the offices of the Chief Electoral Officers of the states and Union Territories.
The coalition had sought the definition of logical discrepancies in official documents, as well as details of the notices issued to voters across states and Union Territories where the second phase of SIR had been completed.
Meanwhile, those who receive notices under the no-mapping categories will have to appear before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) with one of 11 prescribed documents along with Aadhaar. The CEO has said physical appearance before the ERO will be mandatory even if the voter uploads the documents online using the scanner provided on the notice.
The claims and objections period for the draft roll began on August 24 and will continue until September 23. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27.
The CEO’s office has also deployed 3,926 additional Assistant Electoral Registration Officers to assist with the verification and disposal of cases involving the 43.81 lakh voters who are to receive notices.