Final electoral roll to be published on Jan. 5, 2024; addition, deletion, correction till Dec. 9, 2023

Bengaluru: The State Election Commission, responsible for preparations for next year’s Lok Sabha election scheduled for April or May 2024, released the draft voter list on its website yesterday. With this release, the Election Commission has initiated the summary revision of electoral rolls in Karnataka.

Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena, speaking in Bengaluru yesterday, announced that objections can be submitted until Dec. 9, and all voters can update their information as needed. If there are any inaccuracies in the provided information, voters can use Form 6 to make corrections.

The CEO also mentioned that a special effort will be made to include the names of voters who may have been omitted. “We urge all voters to review the draft electoral roll and make necessary changes,” he emphasised.

This process will continue until Dec. 9, during which applications can be submitted for name and address corrections, a period designated for claims and objections. The final electoral rolls will be published on Jan. 5. According to the Draft Electoral Rolls-2024 shared by the EC, the total number of general voters in Karnataka is 5,33,77,162, including 2,68,02,838 men and 2,65,69,428 women.

The EC revealed that the number of polling stations has increased from 58,282 in the Final Electoral Rolls-2023 to 58,834 in the Draft Electoral Rolls-2024. This includes the addition of 845 polling stations, the merger of 293, resulting in a net increase of 552 polling stations.

Manoj Kumar explained, “We request all citizens to verify their name and all associated details in the electoral roll. If you find any errors, you can rectify them using Form 8.” He added, “If your name is not listed, and you have recently turned 18, you can use Form 6 to enrol. You can easily do this via the voter service portal or voter helpline mobile app. The required documents are straightforward.”

According to the EC, the draft electoral rolls for all 224 Assembly constituencies were made available in the offices of the Deputy Commissioners, Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Roll Registration Officers, and all polling stations in their respective jurisdictions on Oct. 27.

Meena further stated, “If you have any objections to names or entries in the roll, you can file an objection using Form 7, which can also be used for deletions. Between Dec. 9 and Dec. 27, we will address all claims and objections, with the final electoral roll set to be published on Jan. 5.”

Eligible voters can download the Voter Helpline App on their mobile phones to submit applications. Alternatively, they can submit applications through the https://voterportal.Eci.Gov.In/ portal. To ensure that no one is left out, a special drive will take place on Nov. 18-19 and Dec. 2-3, with a focus on enrolling underrepresented groups, including women voters, young voters and socially vulnerable classes such as transgender voters, sex workers and nomadic tribes.

The EC noted that out of 224 Assembly constituencies, Bengaluru South boasts the highest number of voters at 7,06,207, while Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district has the lowest at 1,66,907.

Overall, there were 18,88,243 applications received, of which 16,31,547 were approved and 1,71,964 were rejected, primarily due to inadequate supporting documents, in the transition from the election roll of 2023 to the draft roll of 2024, as per Meena’s statement.