Bengaluru: Political parties and sitting MLAs, especially in Bengaluru, are worried that genuine voters could be left out of Karnataka’s electoral rolls after the special intensive revision (SIR), with nearly 47 lakh voters in Bengaluru placed under categories requiring verification.As of Aug 18, more than 46.8 lakh voters in Bengaluru were listed under Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) categories, accounting for 45% of the city’s 1.03 crore voters. Across Karnataka, 1.08 crore entries were under the various categories, accounting for 19.7% of the 5.5 crore voters on the rolls before SIR began. The enumeration exercise ended on Aug 17.The scale has raised concern largely among BJP legislators, particularly in Bengaluru assembly constituencies where large numbers of voters have been flagged.The largest category statewide is permanent shifting, with 65.4 lakh entries. Another 15.1 lakh are marked absent, 16.3 lakh relate to deaths, 7.09 lakh are already enrolled elsewhere and 3.8 lakh fall under ‘others’. In Bengaluru, Bangalore Urban has 17.1 lakh entries across the categories, followed by BBMP North with 10.5 lakh, BBMP Central with 8.6 lakh and BBMP South with 10.5 lakh. The city’s highly mobile population adds to the concern, with residents frequently moving between rented homes, apartments and constituencies and potentially being absent from registered addresses during field verification.The concentration is particularly significant in several key assembly constituencies. Bangalore South has the highest number, at 3.6 lakh, followed by Mahadevapura at 2.9 lakh, Bommanahalli at 2.6 lakh, KR Pura at 2.5 lakh, Dasarahalli and Rajarajeshwarinagar at 2.4 lakh each, and Byatarayanapura at 2.2 lakh. Bangalore South, represented by BJP’s M Krishnappa, has the highest number of ASDDO entries, while Shivajinagar has the lowest at 81,236.Bengaluru has 28 assembly constituencies, of which BJP holds 15 and Congress 12. Yeshwanthpur MLA ST Somashekhar is currently unattached after being expelled by BJP.Some BJP MLAs told TOI that they knew the voters list was largely inflated but this is wider than what they had thought. Congress MLAs said they assumed that 20% to 25% of the voter list is flawed but the final numbers are worrying. “We have begun identifying the numbers ward-wise to understand the real impact,’’ they added.The biggest question for political parties will be how many of the flagged entries ultimately remain on the rolls. The ASDDO classification does not amount to automatic deletion. Each case requires verification. The final electoral impact will depend on how many voters are retained, restored, deleted or otherwise resolved.Political experts said the parties and MLAs especially in Bengaluru may have to draw newer strategies after the final list is published. “The issue could have a sharper impact at the assembly level because elections are fought constituency by constituency. If large numbers of voters flagged as permanently shifted, absent or otherwise requiring verification do not appear on the final rolls, parties will have to reassess their voter databases and booth-level mobilisation,’’ said poll strategist MB Maramkal. “The impact could extend to Lok Sabha elections as well. Since parliamentary constituencies comprise several assembly segments, concentrated changes in voter numbers across multiple segments could alter the overall electorate and force parties to revise their electoral strategies,’’ he added.The issue is not confined to Bengaluru alone. For instance, Gulbarga North has 1.05 lakh entries and Gulbarga South 1.01 lakh in Kalaburagi district, while several assembly constituencies in politically important districts like Mysuru, Tumakuru, Ballari, Dharwad and other districts also have substantial numbers.GFXTotal uncollected enumeration form (UEF) entries across major assembly constituencies after the ongoing electoral-roll exercise.BENGALURU DOMINATES LISTBangalore South — 3,63,792Permanent shifting: 2,70,635Mahadevapura — 2,96,029Permanent shifting: 2,24,448Bommanahalli — 2,65,894Permanent shifting: 1,33,850 | Absent: 1,00,197KR Pura — 2,58,998Permanent shifting: 1,78,381Dasarahalli — 2,45,729Permanent shifting: 1,81,660Rajarajeshwarinagar — 2,45,468Permanent shifting: 1,88,757Yeshwantpur — 2,40,023Permanent shifting: 1,78,873Byatarayanapura — 2,26,955Permanent shifting: 1,65,356Tumkur City — 74,639Permanent shifting: 46,194Bijapur City — 79,736Absent: 38,519Source: CEO, Karnataka
