Karnataka civil society groups urge CM to intervene in voter list revision

Civil society organizations in Karnataka, led by actor Prakash Raj and the group ‘Eddelu Karnataka’, have urged Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar to intervene in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The groups allege that the current process could lead to the unfair removal of eligible voters from the lists.

Representatives claim that approximately 1.09 crore voters have been categorized under the ‘ASDDO’ (Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead, or Others) classification. They noted that in nearly 3,000 polling booths, the deletion rate has exceeded 60 percent. Specific concerns include elderly citizens being incorrectly marked as dead and individuals who moved for work being classified as absent.

The organizations are requesting that the state government ask the Election Commission to extend the enumeration process by at least three months, ideally allowing one year for completion. They have also called for mandatory door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) before any names are officially deleted to ensure transparency and accuracy.