Bengaluru: More than 43.81 lakh notices have been generated in Karnataka as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, with 7.31 lakh notices delivered to voters so far, according to the Chief Electoral Officer‘s (CEO) office.
As of September 4, Karnataka has 4,46,38,124 voters on the electoral roll, including around 2.21 crore male voters, 2.24 crore female voters and 2,871 transgender voters.
Notices issued under two categories
The notices have been issued to voters whose names fall under the ‘no mapping’ and ‘anomalies’ categories during the electoral roll revision process.
According to a statement from the CEO’s office, a total of 43,81,143 notices were required to be generated. Of these, 43,81,141 notices had been generated as of September 4.
So far, 7,31,770 notices have been successfully delivered to voters, while delivery of another 36,49,371 notices remains pending.
Hearings to continue until October 12
The hearing process for voters covered by the notices began on September 3 before Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs).
A total of 206 hearings have been completed so far. The hearings are scheduled to continue until October 12 as part of the revision exercise.
The CEO’s office also stated that, following requests from registered and recognised political parties, lists of individuals who have received notices under the ‘no mapping’ and ‘anomalies’ categories will be shared before September 6.
More than 4,000 election officers deployed
During the notice phase, 224 EROs, along with 4,262 AEROs and additional AEROs, are currently working on the electoral roll revision exercise.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has also directed that a second special campaign for voter registration be conducted on September 19 and 20.
Following the rationalisation of polling stations, 1,873 new Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been appointed. Their logins have also been created on the BLO application to facilitate the revision work.
CEO asks officials to intensify voter awareness
To review the voter registration process, the CEO held a video conference with district election officers and officials from various departments on September 3.
Officials were instructed to undertake Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities and organise special campaigns to improve voter awareness and participation.
The directions come amid queries from voters who have been unable to locate their names in the same part where they were previously registered in the draft electoral roll.
Voters advised to search using EPIC number
The CEO’s office clarified that a voter’s part number and serial number may have changed following the rationalisation and re-arrangement of polling stations.
Therefore, voters who cannot find their names in their previous parts have been advised to search for their details using their EPIC (Voter ID) number on the Election Commission’s voter services website or through the ECINET mobile application.
The ongoing exercise is aimed at updating and rationalising the electoral roll while providing voters an opportunity to verify their details and participate in the revision process.