Concerns Arise Over Deletion of 61,000 Voters in Karnataka Amid Electoral Roll Revision

Karnataka’s electoral landscape has come under scrutiny as election officials have submitted applications to remove over 61,000 voters from the electoral rolls, raising questions about transparency and accountability. According to reports, these applications were filed without any rationale, which is in violation of the 1960 Registration of Electors Rules that mandate the citing of reasons for such requests.

The applications, totaling 61,059 Form 7 requests, were generated during the special intensive revision process. Election officers stated that many of these forms were ‘auto-generated’ by the system when voters could not be contacted during hearings. This has led to the digital signatures of electoral registration officers being affixed without any human review of the cases, leaving voters categorized as ‘ineligible’ without clear justification.

The discrepancies flagged by the election commission included mismatches in parental names, inconsistencies regarding age relations with parents, and households with more than six children. Officials have clarified that they were directed to file these applications under specific circumstances, including instances where voters had moved, were found to have duplicate registrations, were underage, had passed away, or were not Indian citizens. However, the auto-generation of forms has left many of these reasons unlisted, creating confusion and concern among the electorate.

The recent revision process has already resulted in the removal of more than one crore names from the draft electoral list released on August 24. This amounts to approximately 19.4% of the electorate in Karnataka, raising alarm bells among political observers and civil rights advocates who fear that such mass deletions could disenfranchise a significant number of voters.

As Karnataka prepares for upcoming elections, the situation has sparked debates on the integrity of the electoral process and the need for greater oversight and transparency. While the election officials maintain that the deletions follow procedural guidelines, the lack of clarity and the sheer volume of removals have led to calls for a review of the process, ensuring that the rights of every eligible voter are protected.

Source: scroll.in