24.06 Lakh Bengaluru Electors to Get Notices Over Voter Roll Discrepancies

At least 24.06 lakh voters across Bengaluru—accounting for 42% of the city's 56.99 lakh draft electorate—are set to receive notices to prove their eligibility to remain on the electoral rolls following the enumeration phase. The notices are being issued over logical discrepancies and an inability to map details from the 2002 electoral roll.

Constituencies including C.V. Raman Nagar and Bommanahalli recorded the highest number of notices after previously witnessing massive deletions under the absent, shifted, duplicate, dead, and other (ASDDO) categories.

In C.V. Raman Nagar, the electorate stood at 2.74 lakh on June 16 before being reduced by 51.13% during the enumeration exercise. Of the 1.40 lakh names deleted from the constituency, 99,228 were marked as permanently shifted. Following the draft roll publication, C.V. Raman Nagar was left with 1.33 lakh electors. Within this reduced list, more than 80,800 people—or 60.34% of the draft electorate—will receive notices, leaving slightly over 53,000 voters without one.

Bommanahalli experienced a drop of more than 54%, with its electorate falling from 4.84 lakh to 2.19 lakh after draft roll publication. Within this remaining group, another 1.02 lakh electors are scheduled to receive notices.

Across Karnataka, 1.07 crore names were deleted under ASDDO categories, wiping out nearly one-fifth of the state's draft electorate. Several Bengaluru constituencies recorded over 50% deletions during the ASDDO stage, a pattern now persisting into the notice stage.

Voters marked for scrutiny face tight administrative deadlines. Only seven days are allocated between an Electoral Registration Officer generating a notice and the scheduled hearing. Delivery delays can leave recipients with only one to three days to prepare. Hearings are scheduled only once, and personal appearance is mandatory, preventing family members from appearing on behalf of individuals studying abroad or residing elsewhere.

The exercise affects large vulnerable populations in the city. Bengaluru's electorate includes over 40,300 voters aged 85 and older, 829 voters aged above 100—including 451 women—and 21,466 voters with disabilities within Greater Bengaluru Authority limits, along with large numbers of working-class and slum residents.