Karnataka Voters Face Record Purge as 1.10 Crore Names Enter Deletion Category
Election officials in Karnataka have flagged nearly 20% of the electorate for potential removal from the rolls. This massive surge in the ASDDO category places the state at the forefront of nationwide voter list revisions.
Key takeaways
- Karnataka has flagged 1.10 crore voters—nearly 20% of its roll—under the ASDDO category for potential deletion.
- The state's draft-stage deletion rate has surpassed Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal.
- Nearly 75% of recently digitized voter forms are being added to the removal list as the August 8 deadline nears.
- Urban Bengaluru faces the highest impact, with some zones reporting over 50% of voters marked as absent or shifted.
Unprecedented Scale of Electorate Revisions
Karnataka is currently undergoing a massive recalibration of its electoral data, with over 1.10 crore voters—approximately 20% of the state's total roll—now classified under the Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead, and Others (ASDDO) category. This figure, recorded as of August 3, positions Karnataka to experience one of the most significant draft-stage voter deletions in India. The state has already surpassed the deletion rates observed in Uttar Pradesh at 19.09% and Arunachal Pradesh at 18.7%, despite those regions having already concluded their review cycles.
Data Trends and Impending Deletions
The volume of potential removals is expected to climb as the August 8 enumeration deadline approaches. Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar confirmed that names under the ASDDO umbrella are slated for deletion unless individuals formally contest the status and verify their residency. Recent processing trends indicate a sharp acceleration in these classifications; of the forms digitized daily, between 60% and 75% are being funneled into the ASDDO list. For context, between August 1 and August 2, roughly 4.02 lakh out of 5.40 lakh digitized forms were flagged.
Regional Concentrations and Demographics
The concentration of flagged voters is highest within urban centers. Data reveals the following high-density ASDDO zones:
- BBMP South: 52.46%
- BBMP Central: 49.38%
- BBMP North: 48.32%
- Bengaluru Urban: 45.85%
- Kalaburagi: 22.59%
The current mapping data shows 1.76 crore voters mapped as self and 2.30 crore as progeny, while over 34 lakh entries remain unmapped. While the CEO noted that mahazars were conducted for these cases, officials have not yet provided a detailed breakdown explaining why Karnataka's discrepancy rates have so significantly outpaced other Phase III states like Haryana (16.3%) and Andhra Pradesh (10.78%).
Source: The Hindu — National
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