Bengaluru: Nearly one crore names have been deleted from the Karnataka voter list after the SIR exercise, reducing the total number of electors from 5.54 crore to 4.55 crore in the final electoral roll published Tuesday. The final rolls comprise 2,25,83,107 male voters, 2,29,14,063 female voters and 2,841 third-gender electors, Karnataka CEO V Anbukkumar said.
Over 6.83 lakh voters are in the 18-19 age group, while 3,92,134 are aged 85 and above. There are also 3,252 NRI voters, according to the CEO. The state had 5,54,32,314 voters before the SIR, and now the number stands at 4,55,00,011 after the deletion of 99.32 lakh names following the publication of the final rolls. Addressing a presser here, Anbukkumar also rejected media reports that officials had generated around 60,000 Form 7 applications to delete voters, saying there was no provision for the bulk generation of Form 7. “Every such form must be generated in the name of the competent officer after the prescribed inquiry and the passing of a speaking order.
For example, if an ERO conducts a hearing and determines that a person is ineligible, the form is generated in the ERO’s name. If an AERO conducts the proceeding, it is generated in that officer’s name,” he explained. The opposition alleged that election officials with BJP links filed Form 7 in bulk from many districts to delete the names of Muslims. Sharing a breakdown of the deletions made in the draft roll, he said that, of the 1,88,324 deletions, 1,091 were of deceased electors, 184 were of absent electors, 762 were of those already enrolled or with duplicate entries, and 1,24,327 were related to shifts of residence, resulting in the automatic generation of Form 7.
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