Karnataka Voter Roll Special Intensive Revision Begins Today; BLOs to Visit Every Home, Bengaluru Helpline Activated

SIR Launches Across Karnataka

Bengaluru, June 30: The Election Commission of India (ECI) officially launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Karnataka's electoral rolls on June 30, 2026. The month-long exercise runs until July 29, during which Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit every household in the state to verify, update, and revise the voter list.

Out of Karnataka's 5,54,32,314 registered voters, 91.61% — or 5,07,79,810 voters — have already been mapped. The remaining 46,52,504 are yet to be covered. The SIR exercise will identify genuine voters, weed out ineligible or duplicate entries, add new voters, and remove the names of deceased or relocated individuals.

CM Shivakumar Urges Citizens to Fill Forms

Speaking at a press conference at Vidhana Soudha, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar appealed to all voters to cooperate with the process and fill the enumeration forms provided by BLOs. "BLOs will visit your homes between June 30 and July 29. You must fill the enumeration form and submit it with required documents and a new photograph within 30 days. This is your duty as a voter," he said.

Shivakumar warned that failing to submit the form could lead to loss of voting rights. "If you lose your voting right, you may not be able to access government welfare schemes — including guarantee schemes, pensions, and other state programmes — in the future," he cautioned, citing West Bengal, where ration distribution is now linked to voter list enrollment.

BLOs will visit each home at least three times. "Even if you miss the first visit, they will return. But if you repeatedly refuse to submit the form, you will lose your right to vote," he warned. The CM confirmed he would symbolically fill his own enumeration form at his residence on Tuesday to set an example.

49,320 Help Centers to Be Set Up

The state government will establish 49,320 voter help centers — one at every gram panchayat and municipal ward — to assist citizens through the SIR process. Sub-tahsildars have been authorized to issue permanent residence certificates to voters who lack address proof documents.

Eleven types of documents are acceptable for identity and address verification, including: birth certificate, passport, caste certificate, forest rights certificate, government housing or plot allotment documents, central government pension documents, and a Voter EPIC card number. Caste certificate holders who registered a valid phone number can download their certificate via WhatsApp.

Statewide Deployment for SIR

Chief Electoral Officer Anbukumar confirmed the deployment of a large administrative apparatus:

• 59,050 Booth Level Officers statewide
• 31 District Electoral Officers
• 4 Additional District Electoral Officers
• 224 Electoral Registration Officers
• 336 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers
• 1,15,112 Booth Level Agents (party representatives)

Wi-Fi facilities will be provided to BLOs in areas with poor connectivity to ensure smooth digitization. Daily progress updates — including homes visited, forms distributed, and deaths recorded — will be published on the Election Commission's website. There are 1.88 crore households in the state.

Bengaluru Urban District: Helpline Activated

District Collector and Additional District Electoral Officer Kantharaju P.S. announced a dedicated helpline for Bengaluru Urban district to handle public grievances, complaints, and clarifications regarding SIR. The helpline covers seven assembly constituencies: Yelahanka, Bytarayanapura, Yeshwanthpur, Dasarahalli, Mahadevapura, Bengaluru South, and Anekal.

• Phone: 080-22967200 (office hours)
• Email: adeobangaloreurban@gmail.com
• Facebook: Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban
• Instagram: dc_bangalore_urban
• X (Twitter): DC_blrurban

Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Area: 76.32% Mapped

GBA Chief Commissioner and District Electoral Officer Maheshwar Rao briefed media on SIR preparations for the Greater Bengaluru area. So far, 1,03,88,363 voters (76.32%) within the GBA have been mapped.

The GBA has 8,972 polling booths. Administrative deployment includes:

• 28 Electoral Registration Officers
• 75 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers
• 905 BLO supervisors
• 8,972 BLOs
• 16,505 party-appointed BLAs (7,685 Congress; 8,193 BJP; 831 JDS; 90 AAP)

A total of 2,855 voter help centers have been set up across GBA's voter registration offices.

Key Dates and Schedule

• June 30 – July 29: BLO house-to-house visits and data/document collection
• July 27: Logical rationalization and reorganization of polling booths
• August 5: Publication of draft voter list
• August 5 – September 4: Period to file objections to the draft list
• August 5 – October 3: Notice phase; hearing and disposal of claims and objections
• October 7: Publication of the final revised voter list

What Voters Need to Do

When a BLO visits your home:

1. Fill the SIR enumeration form with accurate details
2. Sign the form (any adult family member may sign on behalf of an absent voter)
3. Submit supporting documents: family member ID cards, Voter ID, Aadhaar card, address proof, and a passport-size photograph

Voters turning 18 by October 7, 2026 are eligible to register by filling Election Commission Form 6 along with an age verification document. Voters who submit their details online in advance will have their documents verified in person when the BLO visits.