No Documents Needed for Karnataka's Electoral Roll Revision, CEO Assures
Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer, V. Anbu Kumar, has clarified that electors will not be required to produce any documents during the upcoming house-to-house enumeration for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The clarification, issued on Monday, aims to address public concerns ahead of the exercise beginning on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kumar explained that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will only distribute and collect enumeration forms during the month-long process. No documentary proof will be collected. The forms will be provided in Kannada, but electors may fill them in either Kannada or English, not in any other language.
The purpose of the SIR is to ensure every eligible elector participates and that the electoral rolls remain accurate. The exercise follows directions from the Election Commission of India (ECI), which has scheduled similar revisions across 16 states and three Union Territories, with October 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.
The house-to-house enumeration will continue until July 29. Draft electoral rolls are set to be published on August 5, after which electors can file claims and objections until September 4. Following disposal of claims and objections by October 3, the final electoral rolls will be published on October 7.
Mr. Kumar stated that Karnataka currently has 5,54,32,314 electors, all of whom will be covered. BLOs will visit every household within their assigned polling areas, distributing two sets of forms to electors whose names were on the rolls as of June 16, 2026. Electors must fill and return the forms for digitisation. BLOs have been instructed to make at least three visits to households if needed to ensure no eligible voter is missed.
Only those who submit filled forms within the prescribed period will have their names included in the draft rolls. Citizens who have recently turned 18 or otherwise become eligible can submit Form 6 with the required declaration for enrolment.
Regarding logical discrepancies, the CEO noted that six have been identified so far, but the exact number will be known after draft rolls are published on August 5. Examples include cases where the age difference between father and child is less than 15 years, or between grandfather and grandson is more than 40 years, or changes in gender and relationship. In such cases, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers will issue notices for rectification.
The Election Commission has also enabled an online facility for filling enumeration forms via the Voters’ Service Portal and the ECINET mobile application, starting June 30.
Preparations are complete, with 59,050 BLOs trained and deployed across Karnataka. Also involved are 31 District Election Officers, four Additional District Election Officers, 224 Electoral Registration Officers, 336 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, and 7,556 BLO Supervisors. Political parties have appointed 1,15,112 Booth Level Agents.
To raise awareness, district administrations and Assembly constituency-level election machinery will organise rallies and outreach programmes. The CEO appealed to electors to cooperate with BLOs by accurately filling and signing forms and handing them over promptly.
