Shivakumar seeks more time for SIR, asks ECI to ensure no genuine voter is excluded

Bengaluru, Aug 29 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the period for claims and objections and provide adequate time for verification during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared Shivakumar’s letter on X, stating: “Here is the letter of the CM, Karnataka, to the CEC on the massive and unjustified deletion of names from the electoral roll through the SIR process in the state. We hope that the CEC will take prompt action regarding the concerns raised by the CM.”

In his letter dated August 25 to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Shivakumar expressed concern over the large number of voters placed under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) category.

According to the letter, nearly 1.08 crore of Karnataka’s 5.54 crore electors have been placed under the ASDDO category. Following publication of the draft electoral roll on August 24, verification notices are expected to be issued to around 43.8 lakh electors for “logical discrepancies” or the absence of a link to the 2002 electoral roll.

Shivakumar pointed out that in Bengaluru alone, 46.88 lakh electors have been placed under the ASDDO category. He warned that this could put around 1.5 crore voters at risk of deletion unless they submit claims for continuation or fresh inclusion.

He said many voters categorised as “Absent” could be genuine electors unable to submit enumeration forms due to work, health or other reasons. He also highlighted difficulties faced by voters who shifted residences or polling stations but missed house‑to‑house visits by Booth Level Officers. “Mobility should not translate into disenfranchisement,” he stressed.

The Chief Minister made four requests to the ECI: Extension of claims period – to allow genuine voters, including those in the ASDDO category, to file claims through Form 6; implementation of procedures, directing District Election Officers to convene Ward Committee meetings in urban areas and Gram Sabhas in rural areas; adequate verification time, suggesting three to four weeks for voters to respond, especially working people, migrants and elderly citizens; increase in officers to handle districts with high numbers of ASDDO cases and discrepancies.

Shivakumar said the state government was ready to assist with Gram Sabha and Ward Committee meetings, publicity campaigns and logistical support. “The objective must be an electoral roll that the people of Karnataka can trust: one in which every eligible citizen is included, every ineligible entry is removed, and no citizen is deprived of the franchise merely for want of adequate time, information or opportunity to establish his or her eligibility,” he said.

–IANS

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