Karnataka CEO Undecided on Accepting PRCs as SIR Enumeration Deadline Nears

With the enumeration phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) set to end on Monday, August 17, the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer is yet to indicate whether the Permanent Residential Certificate (PRC) will be accepted in the State.

Clarity on the issue is critical for voters flagged for logical discrepancies in their enumeration forms, as well as over 28 lakh unmapped voters in Bengaluru and across the State who could not trace their or their families' details in the 2002 base roll. After the draft electoral roll is released, these voters will be required to produce one of the 11 accepted documents.

Recognising that many residents do not possess any of the 11 documents listed by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Karnataka government had launched a drive to deliver PRCs and caste certificates directly to citizens' doorsteps. However, as the enumeration deadline nears, election authorities have not clarified whether these certificates will be approved.

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar said he would provide clarity regarding PRCs later. When asked about the PRC being listed among the ECI's accepted indicative documents, Kumar said he cannot comment on an individual document case.

The response suggests PRCs might be scrutinised on a case-by-case basis. Previously, State election officials and the CEO had also declined to state categorically how PRCs would be treated in Karnataka.

The lack of clarity follows precedents in other states. During the SIR in West Bengal, the ECI agreed to accept PRCs only if they conformed to a specific 1999 State government framework and underwent verification by Electoral Registration Officers. In Telangana, the CEO recently rejected newly issued Family Register Certificates.

While Booth Level Agents and Congress vigilance teams maintain they will work to ensure eligible voters receive PRCs, the State government has remained silent on what will happen if the ECI decides to mandate strict verification conditions.