Bengaluru, July 8 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Anbu Kumar on Wednesday said that over 80 per cent of Enumeration Forms have been distributed across the state as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, while assuring that all complaints received from political parties are being addressed in accordance with the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directions.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru amid the controversy surrounding the SIR exercise, Anbu Kumar said the revision process began on June 30 and will continue until July 29.
“The Special Intensive Revision is being carried out as per the directions of the Election Commission of India. Enumeration Forms are being distributed to every eligible voter across Karnataka. As of today, 80.85 per cent of the forms have already been distributed,” he said.
The CEO said officials have identified 1,30,975 Enumeration Forms that could not be delivered due to various reasons.
“Of these, 53,430 forms could not be delivered because the voters are deceased, 65,479 due to permanent migration, 9,174 because the voters are already enrolled elsewhere, 2,314 due to the voters being absent, and 573 for other reasons, including refusal to sign the forms,” he explained.
He clarified that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) cannot retain undistributed forms without valid reasons.
“If BLOs return with forms, they must record the reason, whether the voter is deceased, has permanently shifted, or for any other valid reason,” he said.
Anbu Kumar said directions have been issued to all District Election Officers (DEOs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to share the list of uncollectable forms with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) through BLOs. The lists will also be uploaded to the official website.
“I request political parties to inform us if any voter has been wrongly classified by a BLO or if they find any eligible voter missing from the list. Appropriate action will be taken,” he said.
The CEO added that progress reports are being shared with recognised political parties every two hours. He also held a meeting with representatives of political parties before the press conference and assured them that their suggestions would be considered.
Providing district-wise details, Anbu Kumar said that out of Karnataka’s 224 Assembly constituencies, 112 have achieved more than 90 per cent distribution of Enumeration Forms, while 169 constituencies have crossed the 80 per cent mark.
Among the best-performing districts, Chitradurga recorded 98.95 per cent distribution as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by Davanagere (98.74 per cent), Karwar (98.66 per cent), Mandya (97.65 per cent) and Vijayanagara (97.57 per cent).
He also said Devadurga, Kumta, Hirekerur and Mayakonda Assembly constituencies have achieved 100 per cent distribution, while Karwar, Mulbagal, Melukote, Rona and Hiriyur have crossed 99 per cent.
On the other hand, Bommanahalli recorded the lowest distribution at 35 per cent, followed by Bengaluru South (39.95 per cent) and Govindarajanagar (40 per cent).
“Distribution has been relatively slow in urban areas, particularly within Bengaluru city limits, as well as in city corporations such as Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Belagavi and Tumakuru. However, there is still sufficient time to complete the distribution process, and necessary instructions have been issued to the concerned officials,” he said.
Anbu Kumar also said the digitisation of Enumeration Forms is progressing simultaneously with their distribution.
“So far, around 10 per cent of the forms have been digitised, amounting to more than 56 lakh Enumeration Forms. Among Assembly constituencies, Mayakonda and Devadurga have achieved 34 per cent digitisation, followed by Chikkaballapur (33 per cent), Maski (30 per cent), Sindhanur (29 per cent) and Molakalmuru (28 per cent),” he said.
He further noted that Karnataka has 1,24,018 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by various political parties to assist in the electoral roll revision process.
The SIR exercise has become a subject of political debate in Karnataka after NDA leaders submitted a complaint to the Election Commission of India alleging irregularities in the implementation of the revision process and seeking re-verification of the electoral rolls.
–IANS
mka/pgh