Election Commission Removes 1 Crore Voters From Karnataka Draft Roll

The Election Commission of India removed over one crore names, approximately 19.4% of the electorate, from the draft electoral roll for Karnataka on August 24, 2026. Following a Special Intensive Revision conducted from June 30 to August 17, the draft roll now contains 4.46 crore electors, down from 5.54 crore on June 16. The deletions include 65.4 lakh voters marked as permanently shifted, 15.1 lakh absent, 12.3 lakh deceased, and 7 lakh duplicates, with the highest proportions of removals occurring in Bengaluru's urban districts.

Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar stated that notices will be sent to 43 lakh individuals whose forms contained anomalies or were not mapped. He emphasized that no names will be permanently deleted without due process, including the issuance of notices and speaking orders. In Shivamogga, the district administration removed 188,554 electors and issued notices to 48,668 voters for data anomalies, requiring them to attend hearings with designated Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.

Eligible citizens may file claims and objections from August 24 to September 23. Appeals will be heard by October 22, and the final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on October 27. This exercise is part of a third phase of the Special Intensive Revision covering 16 states. While the Supreme Court of India upheld the legality of the revision, it ruled that the commission cannot decide a person's Indian citizenship.