SIR in Karnataka: Voters above 85 years face double checks, say BLOs
Booth Level Officers in Karnataka are reportedly flagging voters aged 85 and older for 'ASDD' verification, which subjects them to potential deletion from electoral rolls. While officials deny formal instructions, residents and workers claim this practice is being applied systematically to senior citizens.
Why it matters
The potential disenfranchisement of elderly voters raises significant concerns regarding democratic participation and the integrity of electoral roll revision processes.
With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) under way in Karnataka, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) say they have been instructed to “double verify” voters aged ‘85 years and above’ and place them under the “probable absent, shifted, dead/deleted or duplicate (ASDD)” category.
While Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar denied that any such instructions had been issued, multiple BLOs told The Hindu that they had been directed to flag voters above 85 for ASDD verification ‘even before any discrepancy has been established’.
“Nobody whose enumeration form has been submitted should be placed under the ASDD category. But within the BLO app, there is a category called ‘Probable ASD’ where all voters above 85 are directly linked. We have been told to mark voters above 85 as ASDD because they are presumed unlikely to be voting,” a BLO said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in