1.08 crore Karnataka voters flagged in SIR; Shivakumar seeks longer claims window

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has requested the Election Commission to extend the claims-and-objections period following 1.08 crore voters in the state being flagged for various issues in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls (SIR). Around 46.88 lakh of these voters are from Bengaluru. Shivakumar also asked for an additional 45 days to address "logical discrepancies" related to mismatches with the 2002 electoral roll data.

He emphasized the need for an electoral roll that is trustworthy, inclusive, and does not exclude voters due to lack of time, information, or opportunity to prove eligibility. According to the draft rolls released by the Election Commission on August 24, approximately 43.8 lakh voters will receive notices for logical discrepancies during the upcoming SIR phase.

Shivakumar argued that the current timeframe is too short for genuine voters to respond, especially those in the ASDDO (absent, shifted, dead, duplicate, and others) category who may have legitimate reasons for not submitting their enumeration forms. He suggested a minimum of three to four weeks for each voter to furnish necessary documents and prove their eligibility before any adverse decision is made.