Belagavi Voter Revision Highlights Digital Gap as 12.5% of Electors Face Exclusion
Election officials in Belagavi have digitized 87.5% of voter records during the Special Intensive Revision, leaving over 513,000 citizens in categories that risk their removal from rolls. Activists are now petitioning the Chief Electoral Officer for a deadline extension to address document hurdles a
Key takeaways
- Approximately 5.13 lakh voters in Belagavi are classified as Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate as the SIR deadline approaches.
- The Arabavi constituency faces the highest exclusion rate in the district with 15.2% of voters not digitized.
- Civil society groups have formally requested a deadline extension from the Chief Electoral Officer to ensure voter documentation is completed.
- Election officials admitted to mapping loopholes and have implemented special training for staff to correct name-based errors.
- Over 4,400 physical enumeration forms remain pending for digital entry into the official electoral system.
Data Inconsistencies Emerge in Karnataka Election Roll Update
As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) period in Karnataka concludes on August 8, 2026, data from Belagavi district reveals that 12.5% of the electorate remains outside the digitized database. Out of a total pool of 4,107,000 voters across 18 assembly constituencies, approximately 5.13 lakh individuals have been categorized under the ASDDO status, which covers voters who are absent, shifted, deceased, or listed as duplicates.
Disparities Across Assembly Constituencies
The digitization efforts have not been uniform across the district. Arabavi recorded the highest exclusion rate at 15.2%, followed closely by Gokak at 15% and Kudchi at 14.48%. Conversely, certain areas showed high rates of successful inclusion; Yamakanamaradi led the district with 91.68% digitization, while Athani and Belagavi Rural reached 91.24% and 89%, respectively.
Key Facts
- Total voter population in Belagavi district stands at 4,107,000 across 18 segments.
- Booth Level Officers distributed 4,107,000 enumeration forms based on 2002 SIR documents and current rolls.
- While 3,589,825 forms have been digitized, 4,455 forms are still pending entry.
- The ASDDO list currently accounts for 5.13 lakh voters flagged for potential removal.
- The final deadline for the current revision phase is August 8, 2026.
Administrative Response and Civil Society Concerns
District Electoral Officer Mohammad Roshan confirmed that the ASDDO lists have been disseminated to political parties for verification. He acknowledged the presence of loopholes in the mapping process and noted that specialized training has been provided to Booth Level Officers to rectify nomenclature errors. Roshan emphasized that the scrutiny process is designed for transparency before the final list is published.
However, civic leaders argue that the timeline is insufficient. M. M. Makandar, convenor of the SIR awareness committee, has formally requested an extension from Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar. Makandar stated that many citizens require more time to procure the specific documentation necessary for inclusion and do not yet fully grasp the complexities of the SIR requirements.
Source: The Hindu — National
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