Karnataka CEO Removes 2.41 Lakh Names From ASDDO Voter List

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar announced on August 12 that at least 2.41 lakh names were removed from the state's Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead, and Others (ASDDO) voter list between August 5 and August 12. The updates occurred just days after the initial ASDDO list was made public on August 4, revealing adjustments in voter categorisation across Karnataka.

According to official figures released by the CEO, 95,037 voters were removed from the 'Permanently Shifted' category, while 85,267 voters were removed from the 'Absent' category after filling out and returning their enumeration forms. An additional 80,492 cases removed from the list had been categorised under 'Others', representing voters who initially refused to sign enumeration forms but later agreed to do so. Anbu Kumar stated that corrections could be made in such cases once the completed forms were received by election officials.

Despite the removals from certain lists, the total number of voters categorised under dead or duplicate categories increased during the same seven-day period. The number of voters classified as dead increased by 6,796, rising from 16.29 lakh to 16.36 lakh. At the same time, the number of duplicate voters grew by 12,918, going up from 6.88 lakh to 7.01 lakh across the state.

These ongoing updates took place despite districts previously reporting 100 percent digitisation of enumeration forms, a milestone that signifies forms were distributed, returned, and logged into the system. The discrepancies point to cases where voters were wrongly categorised under ASDDO, as well as cases that remained on the list even after enumeration forms were returned to Booth Level Officers. The CEO addressed these concerns by explaining that BLOs are permitted to continue printing enumeration forms until the official enumeration phase officially ends.

In addition to voter list revisions, the Chief Electoral Officer detailed a state-wide rationalisation of polling stations designed to ensure no single polling station serves more than 1,200 electors. Following the exercise, the total number of polling stations across Karnataka increased from 59,050 to 60,898, reflecting a net change of 1,848 stations. During the process, 15 existing polling stations were merged and reduced, while 293 polling stations were shifted to new locations.