From freezing of electoral rolls and door-to-door enumeration to disputed deletions, hearings and political protests, the special intensive revision became a months-long exercise in verifying voter eligibility. The draft rolls on Aug 24 left out 1.08-cr names, while 4.55-cr electors made the final list published on Oct 27. In this explainer, Pearl D’souza traces how the exercise unfolded, how voters could establish their eligibility, and what the numbers reveal
The story
The road to final rollsJAN 1, 2025 – JUN 16, 2026 | Applications before the freezeKarnataka received 73.03 lakh applications before the rolls froze. These included 16.24 lakh Form 6 applications for inclusion, 604 Form 6A applications from overseas electors, 15.82 lakh Form 7 applications for deletion and 40.95 lakh Form 8 applications for modifications.JUN 16, 2026 | Rolls frozenKarnataka had 5.54 crore electors when the rolls were frozen. Bengaluru’s electorate stood at 1.03 crore.JUN 30 – AUG 17 | Enumeration, three deadlinesHouse-to-house enumeration began on June 30, initially scheduled to end on July 29. Following concerns over the workload on booth-level officers (BLOs), the deadline was extended to Aug 8 and then Aug 17. During this phase, 12 BLOs died in incidents involving heart attacks, illness or accidents.AUG 8–17 | ASDDO list remains largeThe list of electors marked Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead or Others (ASDDO) stood at 1.09 crore on Aug 8. By Aug 17, it had fallen to 1.07 crore. The number of Form 6 applications rose from 3.83 lakh to 4.28 lakh over the same period.AUG 17–24 | Lists shared for scrutinyASDDO lists were shared with political parties to identify errors. Officials said an ASDDO classification did not automatically mean final deletion; affected electors could seek inclusion during the claims period. Actor Prakash Raj said he had been marked as shifted and had not received an enumeration form at his new address. His name was absent from the draft rolls.AUG 24 | Draft rolls publishedThe draft list contained 4.46 crore electors, with 1.07 crore names missing. About 43.8 lakh electors were scheduled for notices: 23.45 lakh had not mapped themselves to 2002 records, while 20.35 lakh had discrepancies in their own or their parents’ details.AUG 24 – SEPT 23 | Claims, objections and hearingsElectors were called to hearing centres, where long queues and inadequate seating were reported. From September 11, families could attend hearings for senior citizens, sick persons, persons with disabilities and electors overseas. Outstation students were subsequently accommodated on a case-by-case basis, including through video calls.SEPT 24 – OCT 22 | Notices disposed of, disputes intensifyOfficials processed notices and claims. Reports of bulk Form 7 deletion applications from places including Bhalki and Bableshwar triggered political allegations. On October 1, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and state ministers met the chief electoral officer over alleged mass-deletion attempts. An inquiry was ordered; officials later said some applications had been withdrawn or rejected for not meeting prescribed requirements.OCT 7–12 | Complaints and protestsResidents from Vijayapura who said they had been wrongly declared dead held a media briefing on October 7; an FIR was subsequently filed against BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. The following days saw protests, including a large gathering organised by Citizens for Justice and Peace at Freedom Park on October 8 and an AISA student march on October 11 that prompted the chief minister to order a probe into alleged police excesses. On October 12, the state said it had nearly met its deadline for issuing notices. Some Form 6 applicants began receiving EPIC numbers by SMS.OCT 22–27 | Final checks and publicationThe hearing and claims period concluded on October 22. The centralised rolls were sent to electoral registration officers for final checks before the scheduled publication of the final list on Oct 27
Inside the process
How revision workedMapping the voterEach elector’s details were checked against earlier electoral records, including the 2002 rolls. The link could be established through the elector’s own entry or that of a parent.Classify the recordsEnumeration data was used to classify electors according to whether their details could be mapped to earlier rolls. Cases requiring further scrutiny were flagged for verification.Verification of eligibilityElectors recorded as Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead or Others were placed on the ASDDO list. Enumeration forms were distributed at addresses recorded in the 2026 rolls. Absence, relocation, refusal to sign or a duplicate entry lead to different classifications, which were subject to verification.Issue notices & conduct hearingsAfter draft rolls were published, electors who could not map themselves to 2002 records, or whose details contained discrepancies, were scheduled for notices and hearings. Notices gave affected electors an opportunity to explain their circumstances and establish eligibility. The cases were examined before decisions were taken on inclusion.Claims and objectionsElectors could seek inclusion through Form 6, object to entries through Form 7, or request corrections and shifting of residence through Form 8. The authorities examined these applications before finalising the rolls.Finalising the electoral rollsThe final list incorporated eligible additions, accepted corrections and decisions on disputed entries. A name missing from the draft list was not automatically a final deletion; eligibility had to be considered through the prescribed process
Rolls and results
Deletion, addition now completeWhen SIR beganElectoral rolls as on June 16, 20265.54 crAfter SIR endedFinal rolls published on Oct 27, 20264.55 cr99.76 lakhfewer electors2.25 cr 2.29 cr 2.76 cr 2.25 crDuring the process5.54 crEnumeration forms generated4.46 crForms submitted and digitised (80.52%)1.08 crForms not submitted; these electors were not enumerated in the draft roll43.82 lakhNotices generated and delivered; hearings recorded as completed10.08 lakhAdditions during claims and objections1.88 lakhDeletions during claims and objections8.96 lakhModifications to electoral entries61,867Electors marked ineligible for the final roll8.20 lakhmore electors.Net increase between the draft electorate of 4.46 lakh and the final electorate of 4.55 lakh99.76 lakh reduction and 8.20-lakh increase use different comparison points. Additions and deletions recorded during claims and objections should not be treated as a complete explanation of the overall changeOther key figures in final rolls6.83 lakhYoung electors aged 18-1960,923Polling stations (up from 59,050)
