Intro
Incomplete electoral rolls and data errors trigger confusion, delaying voter verification across Karnataka statewide.
CH NEWS
BENGALURU
Less than a week after the rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, hundreds of voters across Karnataka are facing uncertainty after failing to locate their own or their family members’ details in the 2002 electoral rolls, the base document for the ongoing verification exercise.
Although the Election Commission of India (ECI) has uploaded the 2002 electoral rolls on its website to facilitate verification, records corresponding to several part numbers across Assembly constituencies remain unavailable. Voters have also reported numerous errors in the digitised database, including incorrect spellings, missing surnames, wrong initials and mismatches with identity documents, making online verification difficult.
Members of several Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in Bengaluru said the missing records have created widespread confusion. A representative from an RWA in Sanjaynagar, which was part of the Yelahanka constituency in 2002, said residents were unable to locate names because multiple part numbers, including 95, 275, 280 and 520, had not been uploaded. “The Election Commission should have ensured complete availability of the 2002 rolls before launching the SIR process,” he said.
M Azam, who lived in RMV Extension in 2002 and now resides in Sahakarnagar, said many genuine voters were worried as several families were listed under missing part numbers. “Without these records, people are unable to establish continuity in their electoral history during verification,” he said.
Dr Asima Banu, a voter from Basavanagudi, said her verification failed because the 2002 roll carried the prefix “Dr” while her Aadhaar card did not. She was advised by the Booth Level Officer (BLO) to complete the process offline by submitting supporting documents.
Responding to the concerns, Joint Chief Electoral Officer S Yogeshwara said voters facing missing records or discrepancies should approach their respective Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). He clarified that the uploaded rolls had been certified by EROs and that any missing part numbers or mismatches would be addressed through the prescribed offline verification process after submission of supporting documents.
