Bengaluru, 17 August

Several civil society organisations on Monday urged Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to seek a three-month extension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging large-scale deletions and procedural lapses.

In a letter to the CM, they claimed 1.09 crore voters were listed under Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead and Others categories, while deletions had exceeded 60 per cent in nearly 3,000 booths, potentially affecting almost half of Bengaluru’s voters.

The groups alleged elderly people had been marked “dead”, migrant workers “absent” and those unable to properly complete enumeration forms placed under “others”. They also claimed voters who moved after 2002 were not being given enumeration forms.

The organisations alleged Form 8, used for address changes, was unavailable, with existing voters instead being asked to use Form 6 meant for new enrolments, calling this a violation of Election Commission rules.

They criticised inadequate preparation, public awareness and training for Booth Level Officers, saying the timeline was insufficient for household visits, distribution, collection and uploading of forms.

They sought fresh door-to-door verification, distribution of enumeration forms and Form 8, correction of minor errors, and widespread awareness campaigns and help desks.

If the Election Commission rejects the demands, they urged the government to raise the issue in the Assembly, pass a resolution and approach the Supreme Court if necessary.

The letter was backed by actor Prakash Raj and representatives of Eddelu Karnataka, Muslim Muthahade Mahaz, Active Bangalore and other civic groups.