Prakash Raj, civil groups seek Karnataka CM’s intervention in ongoing SIR drive

Actor Prakash Raj and a coalition of civil society organisations have sought Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's intervention in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, raising concerns over the large number of voters categorised as absent, shifted, dead, duplicate or others and warning that eligible electors could be excluded from the rolls.

In an emergency letter to the Chief Minister, the signatories urged the state government to take up the issue with the Election Commission, seek additional time for verification and ensure fresh door-to-door checks before names are excluded.

The intervention comes as the enumeration phase of Karnataka's SIR concluded on Monday. According to the latest figures from the Chief Electoral Officer's office, 1,08,31,945 electors — 19.54 per cent of Karnataka's electorate — remained in the ASDDO category as the exercise entered its next stage.

Over one crore flagged

Karnataka had 5,54,32,314 registered electors when the SIR exercise began. Election authorities said enumeration forms were distributed to the entire electorate, while 4.46 crore forms, or 80.46 per cent, had been digitised by Monday.

Of the 1.08 crore electors currently classified as ASDDO, more than 65.61 lakh were marked as permanently shifted, 15.28 lakh as absent or untraceable and 16.38 lakh as dead. Another 7.07 lakh were identified as already enrolled elsewhere, while nearly 3.95 lakh fell under the "others" category.

The numbers have generated particular concern in Bengaluru. Nearly half the electors in Bengaluru South have been placed in the ASDDO category, compared with just 5.96 per cent in Udupi.

However, election authorities have stressed that an ASDDO classification does not itself amount to deletion from the electoral roll. Voters can approach officials and follow the prescribed procedure for inclusion where necessary.

Groups flag deletion risk

The letter signed by Prakash Raj and organisations including Eddelu Karnataka, Muslim Muthahade Mahaz, Ashirvad, Namma Matha Namma Hakku Vedike and Nagarika Matha Kavalu Samithi warned against eligible voters being excluded because of errors during the verification exercise.

The groups claimed that Karnataka was witnessing an unusually high proportion of electors facing possible exclusion and alleged that proposed deletions crossed 60 per cent at nearly 3,000 polling booths. They also highlighted the situation in Bengaluru, where the proportion of voters falling under ASDDO classifications has been particularly high.

The organisations have sought a three-month extension of the Enumeration Form process and argued that an exercise of this scale should be undertaken systematically over a longer period rather than within a compressed schedule.

They have demanded another round of door-to-door verification for voters classified as "shifted", "absent" and "others", besides seeking distribution of Form 8 to people who have changed addresses.

Errors already corrected

Concerns over errors in the exercise are not entirely without precedent. Election authorities themselves have reversed a substantial number of ASDDO classifications following further verification.

By August 12, around 2.41 lakh voters who had earlier been put on the ASDDO list had been restored following verification. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar said political parties had been asked to help identify incorrect entries after booth-wise lists were published.

The corrections included tens of thousands of voters initially categorised as absent or shifted, highlighting the possibility of mistakes during an exercise covering more than 5.5 crore electors.

At the same time, the revision has generated a large number of fresh applications. Between June 16 and August 16, election authorities received more than 4.28 lakh Form 6 applications for inclusion and 8.68 lakh Form 8 applications relating to corrections or shifting of residence.

Prakash Raj row

Prakash Raj himself became a prominent face of the controversy after claiming that his voting rights had been affected during the revision.

The actor said his name had been flagged during the verification exercise. Election officials subsequently clarified that his name had not simply been deleted but had been categorised as "shifted", triggering a public dispute over how his electoral status had been recorded.

The BJP also challenged Raj's version, saying he had shifted from his registered address and could update his voter details. Raj later accused election authorities of giving misleading information over his status.

The episode has become one of the most visible individual cases in the wider debate over the Karnataka revision.

Draft roll next

The enumeration deadline had initially been set for August 8 but was extended until August 17 amid the large number of unresolved cases. The draft electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on August 24.

That will open the next critical phase, when voters can scrutinise the draft and pursue claims and objections before the final roll is prepared.

The civil society groups have asked the Karnataka government to launch a statewide voter-awareness campaign and establish help desks to assist people who may have difficulty navigating the process.

They have also urged the state government to raise the issue in the Assembly and pass a resolution if the Election Commission does not accept their demands. If necessary, they want the government to approach the Supreme Court to protect the voting rights of eligible citizens.

With enumeration now over and more than one crore electors still carrying an ASDDO classification, attention will turn to the August 24 draft rolls. The key test will be whether the verification and claims process can remove ineligible entries without leaving legitimate voters outside the electoral register.