Bengaluru: The Election Commission is set to begin the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka from April, with the state included in the second group of 23 states and Union territories scheduled for the exercise.
Bihar was the first state where the SIR was launched on June 24, 2025. Subsequently, on Oct 27, the ECI announced the exercise for a group of 12 states. Even as the revision is under way in those states, the EC has written to chief electoral officers of the second group to begin preparations.
In a letter issued Thursday, the EC said: "Since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the above states/UTs is expected to start from April 2026, you are requested to complete preparatory work related to SIR at the earliest."
Meanwhile, the state law department has been authorised to study SIR and submit its report to the govt by Feb 28. While the cabinet, in its meeting on Feb 12, "discussed SIR at length", law and parliamentary affairs minister H K Patil said no conclusive decision was taken. The law department's report is expected to form the basis for the govt's consent or lack of it to the ECI.
Civil society organisations have stepped up opposition to the exercise, describing SIR as "an electoral genocide".
As part of a representation by the forum My Vote, My Right, Mavalli Shankar, state convener of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti–Ambedkarvada, demanded that the ruling Congress speak up against the move. "How can the CM (Siddaramaiah) say they refuse to politicise SIR?" he asked.
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"We are ready for the exercise. Preparations include training BLOs, equipping them with kits, and mapping voters — the most important part. Mapping is different from verification, which happens during the SIR. It involves enlisting eligible voters using the 2002 voter list and the 2025 revised list. We check if interstate voters have moved into Karnataka and map them to their last constituency, and also map their children. Over 3.8 crore voters have been covered so far."
V Anbukumar | Karnataka chief electoral officer
GFX
| Districts | 34 |
| Total electors in 2025 | 5.5 crore |
| Total mapped electors (including progeny) | 3.8 crore |
Pearl D’Souza is a principal correspondent at The Times of India,...
Read MorePearl D’Souza is a principal correspondent at The Times of India, having dedicated nine years to journalism. She covers health, along with a wide range of other topics. She is particularly focused on the rapidly evolving health sector, with special emphasis on public health infrastructure. Her reporting spans education, science, and technology, food. She was certified as a Climate Correspondent by the Fulbright-Hays Public Diplomacy Program, organized by the US Mission India in 2024, and is a 2025 candidate for United Nation's RAF memorial journalism fellowship.
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