Over 6.5 Lakh Voters Removed From Electoral Rolls in Belagavi District

Electoral Roll Revisions

More than 6.5 lakh voters have been removed from electoral rolls in Karnataka's Belagavi district following a Special Intensive Revision by the Election Commission of India. The district voter count dropped from around 41,53,775 in January 2025 to 34,94,913, leaving out 6,58,862 voters or roughly 15.8% of the total electorate. This deletion rate exceeds the State average of about 12% but stays lower than Bengaluru's 43%. Across the 18 Assembly seats in Belagavi, deletions averaged 36,603 votes per constituency alongside 1.58% pre-revision removals.

Constituency Details

The exclusions include around 1,03,839 Muslim voters across the district. In Belgaum Uttar, represented by Congress leader Asif Sait, 84,483 deletions occurred, which is 20 times his 2023 winning margin. Complaints were raised that BJP leaders, including Ravi Patil, violated Form 7 rules through document fudging and officer intimidation. Belgaum Dakshin saw 71,232 deletions, the second highest in the district, where followers of BJP MLA Abhay Patil filed many third-party objections. Other seats like Yamkanamardi, held by Satish Jarkiholi, recorded 24,235 deletions, while Athani, represented by Laxman Savadi, had 25,866 deletions. Gokak and Arabhavi, held by BJP brothers Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi, also saw large-scale exclusions, with Gokak recording 47,888 removals. Conversely, Kittur, Saundatti, and Kagwad recorded the lowest numbers of deletions in the district.

Context

Electoral roll revisions are routine administrative exercises conducted by election authorities to update voter lists by removing dead, shifted, or duplicate entries. However, large-scale exclusions often trigger political disputes over transparency and fairness. The Election Commission uses specific application forms, such as Form 7, to allow objections or requests for deletions from the public and political parties.