Karnataka To Release Final Voter List With Over One Crore Names Removed

Karnataka will publish its final electoral roll on October 27 after a three-month clean-up drive called the Special Intensive Revision. The final list will feature around 4.54 crore voters, down from 5.54 crore when the revision started. The clean-up led to the removal of 1.07 crore names across the State, and the list will be uploaded on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer.

Deletion Details

The largest group of deletions included 80.62 lakh names of voters who had shifted their homes or were missing from their addresses. During the draft roll stage, authorities also removed 16.39 lakh names of dead voters and over seven lakh duplicate entries. Another 3.83 lakh names were cut under an "Others" category that includes people who refused to sign, though the CEO office has not fully explained this group. Officials have not yet shared details on the number of foreign citizens or ineligible voters found.

Applications And Additions

People whose names were removed because they shifted homes could apply to get back on the list using Form 6. However, only 7,87,534 applications for inclusion came in, which also covers new voters. Because these new applications were very low, additions did not balance out the huge number of deletions in any constituency.

Context

Electoral roll revisions are regular administrative exercises carried out to update voter lists and remove errors. When large-scale deletions happen due to shifted residences, eligible citizens often miss out on voting unless they actively re-register with local election authorities.