Mangaluru: A 61-year-old man from Mangaluru has been mistakenly listed as ‘dead’ in the draft electoral roll prepared under the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), prompting the Dakshina Kannada district administration to initiate action against the concerned Booth Level Officer (BLO).
Donald Joseph Rego, a resident of Bejai in Mangaluru City South Assembly Constituency (203), has reportedly been living at the same address for decades and has regularly exercised his voting rights at the same polling station.
However, after the publication of the draft SIR electoral roll, Rego was shocked to find his name listed under the category of deceased voters against serial number 48 in the relevant block.
Rego seeks immediate correction
Rego said he was surprised to discover that he had been declared dead in an official electoral document despite being alive and continuing to reside at his registered address.
He said he was born and brought up in Mangaluru and had exercised his franchise at the same polling booth during the last Lok Sabha elections.
According to Rego, no death certificate had ever been issued in his name, making the entry in the electoral roll a serious error.
He subsequently approached the election office and the municipal corporation several times seeking correction of the mistake.
Rego was reportedly asked to submit Form 6 for inclusion in the electoral roll. He has demanded that the erroneous entry categorising him as deceased be immediately removed and that his name be retained in the electoral roll as an eligible living voter.
Father’s death reportedly led to error
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr H V Darshan said the district administration had taken the matter seriously and had initiated action after verifying the complaint.
According to the Deputy Commissioner, Rego’s name was mistakenly placed in the deceased category following the death of his father.
The death certificate relating to his father was reportedly uploaded without proper verification, resulting in the erroneous marking of Rego’s name.
Dr Darshan termed the incident a clear dereliction of duty on the part of the officials concerned.
He said this was the first such lapse reported in the district in connection with the ongoing revision exercise.
Show-cause notice issued to BLO
The district administration has issued a show-cause notice to the concerned Booth Level Officer and sought a detailed report regarding how the error occurred.
The Deputy Commissioner said disciplinary action would be initiated according to the applicable rules after examining the report and circumstances surrounding the incident.
The incident has also highlighted the importance of careful verification during the preparation and revision of electoral rolls, particularly when names are being categorised as deceased.
Errors in electoral records can potentially prevent eligible citizens from exercising their franchise if they are not identified and corrected before the final roll is published.
Name to be restored during claims process
Dr Darshan said Rego’s Form 6 application had already been received and that he had personally verified the matter.
He assured that the necessary correction would be made during the claims and objections process and before publication of the final electoral roll.
The administration’s intervention is expected to ensure that Rego’s name is restored to the electoral roll without affecting his voting rights.
The Deputy Commissioner also assured citizens that eligible voters would not be denied their democratic rights because of such errors.
The episode comes at a time when electoral authorities are undertaking intensive verification of voter records. The administration has reiterated the need for accurate verification and proper documentation to prevent genuine voters from being wrongly excluded.
For Rego, the immediate priority is to ensure that his name is correctly reflected in the final electoral roll and that he remains eligible to vote at his regular polling station.
The district administration’s decision to seek an explanation from the concerned BLO also signals that officials involved in the verification process will be held accountable for lapses.