Bengaluru residents marked absent or shifted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls say they were not adequately informed about the deletions or the process for restoring their names, according to enumeration data and accounts reported by The Hindu.
The issue has emerged in several polling stations, including Parts 242 and 243 in New Timber Yard Layout. Summary Revision 2025 data for Part 242 recorded 1,419 electors, of whom 776 were marked for deletion: 389 as shifted, 275 as absent, and 112 as dead or duplicate. Residents said some people categorised as absent continue to live in the area, while others listed as shifted said they had not moved.
Sonu, a carpenter living in New Timber Yard Layout, told The Hindu that residents learnt only recently that they had to apply for inclusion in the electoral rolls. He said Booth Level Officers had told them there was no last date for submitting Form-6, leaving many residents unaware that their names might not be restored unless they applied.
Enumeration data accessed by The Hindu showed several consecutive serial numbers marked as absent or shifted. Electors listed under serial numbers 334 to 343, 472 to 485, and 716 to 735 were among those marked in this manner. Residents said the pattern raised concerns because people living in the locality had been categorised together despite continuing to reside at their addresses.
Part 243 showed a similar pattern. The polling station had 1,399 electors in the 2025 revision data, of whom 722 were marked for deletion, mostly as absent or shifted. The locality is home to labourers, carpenters and daily-wage workers, many of whom leave for work in the morning and return only in the afternoon or evening. Residents said this made it difficult to meet officials during house visits or to pursue corrective applications without losing wages.
Several residents also said they did not receive enumeration forms or notices explaining that their names had been proposed for deletion. Lakshmi, who said she had lived in the locality for years despite being marked absent, told The Hindu that residents needed to be informed about the reason for deletion and the steps required for inclusion. Some residents said they had submitted forms but still found their names deleted.
The problem was also reported at other polling stations. At Shanti Children School in the Sarvagnanagar Assembly constituency, the 2025 revision data recorded 1,134 electors, of whom 1,053 were marked under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others category, known as ASDDO. Residents in the area said many people did not know that the draft electoral rolls had been published or that Form-6 could be used to seek inclusion.
Some electors said Booth Level Officers had told them their enumeration forms would be issued in another State. They said they did not receive the forms there either, even after the SIR exercise was completed. Residents also expressed concern that the removal of their names from electoral rolls could affect access to other benefits, including ration entitlements and free bus travel for women.
The Hindu contacted Booth Level Officers about whether the deletions at the affected polling stations had changed. The enumeration figures accessed by the newspaper were from August. Before the draft rolls were published, the ASDDO list had been made public and several names were subsequently restored, although updated figures for the polling stations were not provided.
The reported deletions have placed the focus on how residents are notified, how polling-station data are checked and how people working long hours can complete the restoration process. The next stage is the publication of the final electoral roll, with affected residents expected to use the prescribed inclusion process where their names remain absent.
