Karnataka began the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of its electoral rolls on Tuesday, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar presents his census form while urging residents across the state to participate in the exercise.
The state government also announced measures to help eligible voters complete the process, even as the state Congress unit echoed questions raised across the country over the Election Commission’s conduct of the process.
Shivakumar completed the form at his residence in Sadashivanagar with his wife Usha Shivakumar. Bengaluru (South) Deputy Commissioner Yeshwanth Gurukar and district election officials were present.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar urged voters to check and update their electoral records. Voters will need to provide the mobile phone number already linked to their voter registration, he said, while those who want to change the number can do so through election officials before obtaining a one-time password on the updated number.
Chief Electoral Officer K Kumar said the aim is to ensure that every eligible voter participates in the audit and that the electoral rolls remain accurate. He added that Booth Level Officials (BLOs) will only distribute and collect census forms during the month-long exercise and will not collect documentary evidence. The forms will be printed in Kannada, but voters can complete them in either Kannada or English.
Kumar said Karnataka has 5,54,32,314 voters. The BLOs will visit every household within their designated polling areas and distribute two sets of forms to voters whose names appeared in the electoral rolls as of June 16, 2026.
The exercise also gave voters an opportunity to correct their names and update photographs in electoral rolls, Shivakumar said. He said cabin level agents, communications officers and supervisory officials have created WhatsApp groups to help people during the process.
“A member can fill out the forms and submit them to all family members and they will be accepted,” the Prime Minister added.
The state government has made arrangements to issue permanent residence certificates and other required documents so that eligible citizens do not face any inconvenience during verification, he said, stressing that proof of residency is mandatory for first-time voters.
“Everyone must protect their voting rights. If they fail to do so, they may find it difficult to access government schemes and services in the future,” the Prime Minister said.
Responding to concerns that those who are not familiar with smartphones may have difficulty navigating the ECINet app, the Prime Minister said he was also given assistance while completing the process online. “Those who are not comfortable with the online process can obtain the form from the booth level officer and complete it offline.”
“Our guarantees are for the people of Karnataka. Why should the benefits meant for Karnataka be extended to voters from other states?” he said.
State Home Minister Priyank Karg, while stating that the Congress supports an accurate electoral list, questioned the Election Commission’s response to the concerns raised by the party. He said Congress had submitted 12 questions regarding the exercise but had not received any response.
“Let the Election Commission of India point out which of our 12 questions is illogical, unconstitutional or illegal. We are ready. Do they alone know the law? Do they alone know the Constitution? If we have doubts, shouldn’t we ask the Election Commission? What are we supposed to do, submit our letters to the BJP office? We have approached the responsible authority. It is up to them to respond,” Karg said.
He said the party was not opposed to the review but wanted all eligible voters to be included. Referring to similar practices in other states, he said confusion had arisen among citizens and urged ECI to ensure that such concerns do not arise in Karnataka.
Karg also called for an independent review of the process, requested a three-month extension to submit the forms, and said no voter should be removed without prior notice, field verification, the opportunity to be heard, and a reasonable order.
In response, the BJP accused the Congress government of obstructing efforts to remove names of deceased voters, remove duplicate entries and identify illegal immigrants in electoral rolls. “The purpose of the SIR is to ensure that only genuine voters remain in the electoral rolls. But this process looks suspicious as in Jayanagar, where non-officials and Congress leaders have been appointed as block organizations in 20 places. In Chamarajpet, action block organizations are displaying photographs of Zamir Ahmed Khan, a Congress MLA, during their visits to voters’ homes, though they are not supposed to display any party symbols,” said Leader of Opposition in the state assembly R Ashoka.
The house-to-house census will continue until July 29. The draft electoral rolls will be published on August 5, claims and objections can be submitted until September 4, and the final electoral rolls will be notified on October 7 after objections are disposed of.
(with PTI inputs)
