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The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Karnataka's electoral rolls will enter its next phase on Tuesday, June 30, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) beginning door-to-door distribution and collection of enumeration forms across the state.
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka, has printed more than 11 crore customised forms since the exercise began on June 20, despite the state having 5.55 crore registered electors. Each voter will receive two partially pre-filled forms with a unique QR code containing their electoral details. One signed copy will be retained by the voter, while the second will be submitted to the BLO for official records.
Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar said several measures have been put in place to ensure that no voter is left out during the month-long exercise. If a house is found locked during the BLO's visit, officials will paste a sticker on the door displaying the BLO's contact details so residents can collect and submit their forms later.
"The enumeration form will not be handed over to neighbours or any unrelated person. It will only be given to the registered elector or an authorised family member. In select cases, the form may be slipped into the house. The form itself will carry the BLO's contact details so electors can reach out and return the completed form," Anbukumar said.
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He added that BLOs will also call electors if they are not found at their registered address. These calls will be made only from the BLO's registered phone number and not through any call centre.
Electors can submit any one of 11 approved identity documents issued by the state or Union government while returning the completed forms.
The Election Commission said this is the ninth Special Intensive Revision exercise in Karnataka, with the previous one conducted in 2002. While the 2002 revision covered around three crore electors, the current exercise covers over 5.55 crore voters. The Commission is using the 2002 database along with the 2023 electoral roll as the basis for the 2026 revision.
Officials said there is no single prescribed method for BLOs and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to approach voters, with field officers expected to decide the most suitable course of action based on local circumstances.
The door-to-door exercise will continue from June 30 to July 29, during which electors, BLOs and EROs are expected to complete the distribution, verification and submission of enumeration forms. Deputy commissioners, municipal commissioners, panchayat heads and other authorised officials have been tasked with ensuring the exercise is completed without disruption.
According to data from the CEO's office, 91.56% of elector mapping has already been completed across Karnataka, the second-highest in the country after Odisha's 93%. Excluding areas under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Karnataka's mapping stands at 94%, while GBA limits have recorded 75% completion. The mapping process will continue alongside the door-to-door visits until the draft electoral roll is published on August 5.
160 representatives from recognised political parties recently participated in a video conference on the exercise. Karnataka has deployed 59,050 BLOs and around 6,000 BLO supervisors, while political parties have appointed 72,058 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to assist in the revision process.
The Election Commission said the routine special summary revision process will remain suspended until the final electoral roll is published. However, BLOs will continue carrying Form 6 to enrol new voters during their visits. Dedicated voter facilitation centres have also been established at the ward and panchayat levels, while separate BLO facilitation centres have been set up to assist election staff with uploading completed forms to the Election Commission's portal.
Anti-SIR groups to stage statewide protests
Meanwhile, organisations opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) have announced protests at district and taluk headquarters across Karnataka on Tuesday, coinciding with the commencement of the door-to-door data collection exercise.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the anti-SIR coalition described the revision exercise as "unconstitutional, unscientific, flawed and malicious".
JM Veerasangaiah and KL Ashok, office-bearers of the coalition, said the groups had held protests on May 30 and June 20, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to address four key demands to make the SIR process more democratic.
The coalition has demanded that the ECI refrain from using "logical discrepancy" software in Karnataka, alleging it is not part of the election manual, make the draft electoral roll available for public scrutiny in village and ward meetings, publish the draft voter list in a readable format and provide a minimum of six months for voters to file claims and objections.
Alleging that the Election Commission has not responded to these demands, the organisations said they would wear black cloth and hold anti-SIR placards during Tuesday's protests. They added that demonstrations would be held not only at district and taluk headquarters but also at workplaces, residential areas and outside homes.
The coalition also announced the launch of a campaign to constitute "Vote Guard Committees" in gram panchayats and urban wards under the slogans "Our Village is Our Responsibility" and "Our Area is Our Responsibility" to monitor the implementation of the electoral roll revision process.
