Karnataka’s final voter list shrinks by nearly 1 crore after revision amid SIR row

Karnataka’s electorate has fallen by around 99.76 lakh voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), bringing the total number of electors to 4,54,55,689, or approximately 4.54 crore. The exercise concluded on October 27, with the state having around 5.5 crore voters when the rolls were frozen on June 16.

The final electoral roll includes 6.83 lakh new voters. Around 86.56 lakh electors are aged between 20 and 29, while those aged 30–39 form the largest age group, with approximately 1.02 crore voters.

During the enumeration phase, around 1.08 crore voters, or 19.48 per cent of the electorate, were excluded from the draft list published on August 24. They were categorised as Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO).

Voters classified as permanently shifted accounted for the largest share, at 65.45 lakh, representing 11.8 per cent of the ASDDO list.

The Election Commission served 43.82 lakh notices to voters over “logical discrepancies” in their SIR enumeration forms. Following the notices phase, 43.2 lakh voters were included in the final list, while 61,867 were excluded.

The revision began on June 20, with 59,050 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 332 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) and 224 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) deployed across Karnataka. The state also had 5,905 BLO supervisors, each overseeing 10 BLOs, and 34 district commissioners designated as District Election Officers.

The enumeration phase began on June 30 and was extended twice. Initially scheduled to end on July 29, the deadline was extended to August 8 because of the large number of voters requiring ASDDO classification. A further 10-day extension was subsequently announced.

Also Read: Israel polls: Highest early turnout since 1973; Netanyahu’s Likud alleges fraud, ‘attempt to steal’ election

The list comes amid SIR row

The SIR has triggered political tensions, with opposition parties alleging voter disenfranchisement, irregular deletions and a lack of transparency under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has called for a nationwide “Chalo Delhi” rally under the slogan “Save the Vote – Save the Country” at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, 2026. He has urged students, farmers, workers and citizens to join the protest, which seeks the immediate suspension of the SIR exercise and the CEC’s resignation.