The Election Commission of India has directed a month-long Karnataka voter enrolment drive to identify eligible electors whose names were present in an earlier electoral roll but are missing from the current list, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Friday.
Under the exercise, Booth Level Officers will compare the current electoral roll with the roll prepared before the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, and prepare lists of voters who have been left out. The officers will then conduct house-to-house visits to establish the present status of the identified electors and facilitate fresh enrolment through Form 6 wherever they are eligible.
Shivakumar said the drive would be closely monitored by officials. The Election Commission has directed Chief Electoral Officers, District Electoral Officers and Electoral Registration Officers to review the progress regularly and ensure that the exercise is completed in about a month.
Booth Level Officers have been asked to cover at least 20 to 25 electors a week. Their field visits will also cover first-time voters and young electors who have not yet been enrolled. Form 6 applications are to be facilitated for eligible residents identified during the exercise, according to the instructions shared by the chief minister.
The process includes a role for recognised political parties. Lists prepared by Booth Level Officers are to be shared with Booth Level Agents of recognised parties during the house-to-house exercise. At the end of the drive, booth-wise lists will be submitted to Electoral Registration Officers in the presence of party representatives, providing another opportunity to identify and facilitate the enrolment of eligible voters who were left out.
The exercise follows sustained demands from the Congress party in Karnataka regarding cases of eligible voters missing from the electoral rolls. Shivakumar said the Election Commission had directed the special drive in response to the issue. The report did not provide the number of electors whose names were removed or omitted from the current rolls, nor did it specify the total number of booths or districts covered.
The chief minister has asked Congress workers, legislators and elected representatives to remain vigilant in their respective areas and raise cases of irregularity or eligible voters being left out with the concerned authorities. The immediate administrative task will be to complete the booth-level comparison, conduct the household verification and process eligible Form 6 applications within the month-long exercise.