Double entries, duplicate IDs: Karnataka CEO admits SIR lapses

Duplicate voter ID numbers and same electors appearing on the rolls of two different assembly constituencies have surfaced in Karnataka, following special intensive revision (SIR), with chief electoral officer (CEO) acknowledging procedural lapses in processing applications. In a clarification issued Saturday, the CEO's office said the discrepancies came to light through two separate lapses in handling voter applications. In the first instance, some applicants submitted multiple Form 6 applications through the Citizen Service Portal during SIR. Since each application was processed independently, multiple Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers were inadvertently generated for the same voter.

The roll mix-up

The second issue involved voters moving their residences from one assembly constituency to another. While their Form 8 applications seeking transfer of address were approved and their names added to new constituency's rolls, corresponding Form 7 applications seeking deletion from the previous constituency remained pending, leading to their names appearing on the rolls at both the addresses. The cases have now been referred to district election officers, additional district election officers and electoral registration officers for verification and corrective action in accordance with the law. However, the clarification from the CEO's office did not say how many voters were affected, how many duplicate entries were identified for deletion, or when the corrections would be made. It also did not clarify whether these discrepancies had affected the final electoral rolls. It attributed the delay in carrying out corrective measures to a statutory freeze on electoral roll changes ahead of their final publication.