Karnataka SIR: 37 voters seek own deletion from rolls, claim they are dead

At least 37 people in Karnataka have sought the removal of their own names from electoral rolls by declaring themselves dead, while 334 pairs of voters have filed applications claiming that the other person has died, an analysis of Election Commission data has found.

The findings, reported by The Hindu, emerged during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The data was processed by Mandate Analytics and Consulting (MAC Insights).

In the 334 cases, one voter submitted Form 7 seeking the deletion of another person’s name on the grounds of death, only for the latter to file a similar application against the first. Both individuals in each pair were registered at the same polling station.

At least three applications seeking self-deletion on grounds of death were filed even after the publication of the draft electoral rolls, indicating that the names had initially appeared on the lists.

One case in Bengaluru’s Byatarayanapura also raised questions about possible data-entry or software errors. A booth-level officer told The Hindu that an application intended to remove a man’s name instead showed his wife as both the applicant and the person declared dead.

The findings add to concerns over discrepancies in Karnataka’s revision exercise. The state’s Chief Electoral Officer reported 1,10,654 Form 7 applications between June 16 and August 28, while the Election Commission portal listed only 81,822, leaving a gap of 28,832 applications.

The revision has faced allegations of wrongful deletion requests and pressure to remove voters’ names.