Karnataka voter list 2026: 1.08 crore names dropped in SIR exercise; check who gets notices and how to make a claim

More than 43.8 lakh voters in Karnataka will receive notices during the next phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after the state’s Chief Electoral Officer released the draft voter list on Monday.

The notices will go to voters whose records were flagged for anomalies or could not be mapped to the previous electoral data. They will have to submit documents and undergo verification if they want their names to remain on the final electoral roll.

The draft electoral roll contains 4,46,35,975 electors. Of these, 4.02 crore voters are not due to receive notices, while 43.81 lakh voters have been flagged for further verification.


Also Read: NDA leaders allege 'mass irregularities' in Karnataka SIR; demand probe, re-verification

The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27, 2026.

What happens if you get an SIR notice?

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will deliver notices to the affected voters over the next two months. The notices will cover voters whose details could not be mapped to the 2002 electoral data or whose records showed one of the logical discrepancies identified during the revision.

The affected voters will have to attend a hearing at the date, time and venue mentioned in the notice. There is currently no provision for a virtual hearing.

Voters will have to submit at least one document from the list of 11 documents printed on the reverse of the enumeration form.

Also Read: SIR 3.0 draft rolls: Over 1 crore names deleted in 10 states/UTs

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) can seek up to three documents, including Aadhaar, if required. Officials said no specific document would be demanded immediately and that the documents would generally be uploaded during the BLO’s visit.

For voters who are ill or unable to travel, the ERO or Assistant ERO can conduct verification at their homes.

A voter who misses a hearing may get another opportunity at the ERO’s discretion.

What happens after verification?

If the ERO is satisfied with a voter’s claim, a speaking order can be issued, potentially as early as the following day through the BLO.

If a claim is rejected, the ERO has to record the reasons in a speaking order, which will also be delivered by the BLO.

Voters whose claims are rejected can appeal to the District Election Officer, who is also the Deputy Commissioner. If the matter remains unresolved, they can make a second appeal to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anbu Kumar.

Why are 43.8 lakh voters getting notices?

The enumeration exercise, conducted through house-to-house verification between June 30 and August 17, identified 1,07,96,339 entries, or 19.48% of the total entries, under the ASDDO categories — Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others.

These entries were not included in the draft roll.

The draft roll retains 4,46,35,975 electors. Within this group, 20.35 lakh voters have been flagged for anomalies, while another 23.45 lakh voters fall under the NoMapping category.

Together, these two groups account for 43.8 lakh voters who will receive notices and have an opportunity to establish their eligibility.

Bengaluru sees biggest number of exclusions

Bengaluru has emerged as a major focus of the verification exercise.

Of the city’s 1.03 crore voters, 46.88 lakh were left out of the draft roll under the ASDDO categories. Of the 56.99 lakh voters included in the draft roll, around 24 lakh are due to receive notices.

The Election Commission has increased the number of polling booths to facilitate the verification process. Officials said hearing venues would generally be located close to voters’ homes, with a target of ensuring that no voter travels more than 2 km to cast their vote.