PTI
Bengaluru
Nearly one crore names have been deleted from the Karnataka voter list after the SIR exercise, reducing the total number of electors from 5.54 crore to 4.55 crore in the final electoral roll published on Tuesday.
The final rolls comprise 2,25,83,107 male voters, 2,29,14,063 female voters and 2,841 third-gender electors, Karnataka CEO V Anbukkumar said. Over 6.83 lakh voters are in the 18-19 age group, while 3,92,134 are aged 85 and above. There are also 3,252 NRI voters, according to the CEO.
The state had 5,54,32,314 voters before the SIR, and now the number stands at 4,55,00,011 after the deletion of 99.32 lakh names following the publication of the final rolls.
Addressing a press conference here, Anbukkumar also rejected media reports that officials had generated around 60,000 Form 7 applications to delete voters, saying there was no provision for the bulk generation of Form 7.
“Every such form must be generated in the name of the competent officer after the prescribed inquiry and the passing of a speaking order.
“For example, if an ERO conducts a hearing and determines that a person is ineligible, the form is generated in the ERO’s name. If an AERO conducts the proceeding, it is generated in that officer’s name,” he explained. The Opposition alleged that election officials with BJP links filed Form 7 in bulk from many districts to delete the names of Muslims.
Sharing a breakdown of the deletions made in the draft roll, he said that, of the 1,88,324 deletions, 1,091 were of deceased electors, 184 were of absent electors, 762 were of those already enrolled or with duplicate entries, and 1,24,327 were related to shifts of residence, resulting in the automatic generation of Form 7.
Approximately 61,960 people were found ineligible after notices and hearings. The Election Commission conducted the SIR exercise in Karnataka from June 30 to October 27. The process had been carried out according to the announced schedule, and the draft electoral roll was published on August 24.
“Subsequently, several people submitted applications. After issuing notices, conducting inquiries and completing the hearings, we have published the final electoral roll today,” he said.
He recalled that when the draft roll was published, the number of electors stood at 4,46,80,151. Since June 16, 8,19,714 electors have been added to the electoral roll.
Following a special drive, eligible voters were urged to submit Form 6 for inclusion of their names, Form 7 for deletion and Form 8 for corrections or other changes.
He said that between June 16 and October 26, the authorities received 10,62,336 Form 6 applications, 4,872 Form 6A applications, 2,29,235 Form 7 applications and approximately 13.27 lakh Form 8 applications, taking the total number of applications received to approximately 26.23 lakh.
He said that, except for around 4,000 applications submitted offline, the rest were filed online.
The chief electoral officer pointed out that of the approximately 26.23 lakh applications, around 3.03 lakh were rejected, 20.64 lakh were accepted and 2.55 lakh remained pending.
“Following publication of the draft roll, 8,77,104 electors were included through Form 6. Another 2,312 were added through Form 6A. Through Form 8 applications involving the shifting of residence, 1,28,622 electors were added to their new constituencies.
“The total additions under these categories were stated as 10,08,038,” Anbukkumar said.
He clarified that when an elector shifts from one place to another, the name is removed from the previous location and included at the new location, subject to the prescribed procedure.
