Karnataka SIR: Civil society report flags large-scale voter deletions, ground-level discrepancies
A civil society report has raised concerns over a 19.5% reduction in Karnataka's electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision. The report alleges that many eligible voters were incorrectly categorized as shifted, absent, or dead, potentially disenfranchising citizens.
Why it matters
The integrity of electoral rolls is fundamental to democratic processes, and large-scale discrepancies can lead to significant voter disenfranchisement and loss of public trust.
An investigation report by the Anti-SIR Alliance and the Citizens’ Vote Protection Committee has flagged what it describes as large-scale deletions and discrepancies in Karnataka’s electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The report, based on electoral-roll data, a survey of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and ground verification across 100 polling booths in 25 districts, says Karnataka’s electorate fell from 5,52,49,719 voters in 2025 to 4,44,53,380 in the draft roll — a reduction of about 19.5%.
The organisations have raised questions over the scale of the deletions, particularly the large number of voters categorised as “Shifted” and “Absent” .
According to the report, 65,45,679 voters were classified as “Shifted”, 16,39,864 as “Dead”, 15,17,042 as “Absent”, 7,09,870 as “Duplicate” and 3,83,884 under “Others”.
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