2 voter IDs for 1 person after SIR in Karnataka; EC admits lapse

Bengaluru: Serious irregularities have surfaced in Karnataka's electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with some individuals found holding multiple voter identity numbers and their names appearing simultaneously in the lists of two different Assembly constituencies.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has acknowledged the lapses, attributing them to procedural errors in processing voter applications. The explanation was issued by the CEO's office on Saturday.

According to the office, some voters submitted multiple Form 6 applications through the Citizen Service Portal during the revision process. Since each application was processed independently, separate Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers were generated for the same individuals, resulting in duplicate registrations.

A similar failure occurred in cases involving voters who shifted their residence. Their Form 8 applications seeking transfer to new constituencies were approved and their names added to the new electoral rolls. However, the corresponding Form 7 applications seeking deletion of their names from the previous constituencies remained pending. Consequently, the same voters continued to appear on both lists.

The CEO's office has forwarded the matter to District Electoral Officers, Additional District Electoral Officers and Electoral Registration Officers for verification and corrective action.

However, the election authorities have not disclosed the total number of duplicate entries requiring deletion, the extent of the problem or a deadline for completing the corrections.

The admission has raised questions over the effectiveness of the electoral roll revision process, with the authorities yet to establish the full scale of the irregularities.