Bengaluru: The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has urged the Election Commission to conduct an immediate statewide verification of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging several discrepancies in the enumeration and voter-mapping process.
KPCC Media and Communication Department chairman and MLC Ramesh Babu has written to the Chief Electoral Officer, flagging concerns over enumeration forms, voter mapping and the classification of voters as “shifted” or “deceased”.
Congress flags 62% voters in one booth
Citing Part No. 512 of Assembly Constituency No. 153 as an example, Ramesh Babu said the polling part has 1,016 registered voters, of whom 654 enumeration forms have been received.
Of these, 339 voters were marked as permanently shifted, 19 as deceased and 265 as unmapped to previous SIR records, he said.
According to the figures cited in the letter, only 389 voters, or around 38% of the total electorate, have been validated. The KPCC has sought name-wise verification of the remaining voters and an official explanation for their status.
The Congress leader also referred to complaints from different parts of Karnataka about enumeration forms not reaching voters, improper record-keeping and eligible voters being categorised as “unmapped”. He also raised concerns over voters allegedly being marked as shifted or deceased without adequate verification.
10-point action plan sought
The KPCC has called for polling station-wise verification of SIR data across the state and re-examination of voters listed as unmapped, shifted or deceased.
It has also sought an effective grievance-redressal mechanism, greater transparency in access to electoral information and adequate time for voters to rectify errors.
Ramesh Babu urged the authorities to fix accountability for administrative lapses and submit a report on corrective action within a stipulated timeframe.
The KPCC said the electoral roll revision should be carried out in accordance with the Constitution, Representation of the People Act and Election Commission rules and directives, and sought safeguards to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded from the rolls because of administrative or technical errors.
