K’taka: EC revises SIR schedule, final roll on Oct 27

Bengaluru, Aug 7 (IANS) The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka, on Friday announced a revised schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls with October 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.

The revised timetable has been issued following directions from the Election Commission of India (ECI) through its letter dated August 7, 2026.

According to the revised schedule, the ongoing house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), which commenced on June 30, will continue until August 17, 2026. The rationalisation and re-arrangement of polling stations will also be carried out on August 17.

The draft electoral roll will be published on August 24, 2026. From the same day, the Election Commission will begin accepting claims and objections from voters. The window for filing applications for inclusion of names, corrections to entries, deletions and other objections will remain open until September 23, 2026.

The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will be undertaken between August 24 and October 22, after which the electoral rolls will be updated based on the decisions taken during the verification process.

The final electoral roll will be published on October 27, 2026, completing the Special Intensive Revision exercise for the state with October 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.

In its press note, the CEO’s office stated that the revised schedule has been issued for the information of the general public and to facilitate the smooth completion of the electoral roll revision process across Karnataka.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka, has announced that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls has reached a major milestone, with the digitisation of nearly all Enumeration Forms (EFs) across the state.

According to the CEO’s office, Karnataka had a total of 5,54,32,314 registered electors as on June 16, 2026. Enumeration Forms for all eligible voters were printed and distributed to Booth Level Officers (BLOs), with 100 per cent of the forms successfully printed and distributed.

The house-to-house enumeration and digitisation exercise, which began on June 30, will conclude on August 8. Of the total Enumeration Forms, 5,54,32,132 have been digitised, accounting for nearly 100 per cent of the exercise. Only 182 forms remain pending for digitisation.

The CEO’s office said 4,44,48,231 Enumeration Forms, or 80.18 per cent, were digitised after being submitted by electors. Meanwhile, 1,09,83,901 electors, constituting 19.81 per cent of the total electorate, have been marked under the ASDDO category, Already Shifted, Dead, Duplicate or Otherwise.

The Election Commission has shared the ASDDO list with recognised political parties, and it has also been made available to Booth Level Officers for verification. Officials said electors who believe they have been incorrectly marked under the ASDDO category can approach their respective BLOs or Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to have their Enumeration Forms restored.

The CEO’s office also stated that 6,98,698 Enumeration Forms, representing 1.26 per cent of the total electorate, were submitted online by voters during the revision exercise.

To facilitate fresh enrolment in urban areas, particularly in Bengaluru, the Election Commission has printed and distributed 10 lakh Form-6 applications to the concerned Electoral Registration Officers for use in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) areas.

–IANS

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