Karnataka and Meghalaya Publish Revised Electoral Rolls With Millions Deleted
Karnataka and Meghalaya published final electoral rolls on October 27, removing millions of voters following special intensive revisions to eliminate duplicates, deceased persons, and shifted residents.
The governments of Karnataka and Meghalaya published final electoral rolls on October 27, 2026, following Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises that resulted in significant voter reductions. In Meghalaya, the final count fell by 7.05% to 2,183,962 electors, after house-to-house verifications led to the exclusion of 165,682 individuals categorized as deceased, absent, or shifted.
Karnataka saw a much larger reduction, with the total number of electors dropping from 5.54 crore to 4.55 crore. Approximately 99.32 lakh names were removed due to deaths, duplicate entries, and residence shifts. In the Mysuru district, voters decreased by 5.19 lakh to 22.80 lakh, while Kalaburagi district reported a 20.1% decline, leaving 1,894,144 voters on the roll. In Dakshina Kannada, officials removed 40 foreign nationals among other deletions.
The scale of removals in Karnataka triggered a political dispute. The Indian National Congress alleged "Vote Chori" (vote theft), claiming marginalized communities and minorities were mass-excluded via unverified third-party applications. Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar denied these claims, stating that no provision for bulk generation of deletion forms exists and that every removal requires a specific inquiry and speaking order.
Both states are now facilitating corrections. Meghalaya is launching a special enrolment drive for omitted citizens, and Karnataka officials are encouraging eligible citizens to submit Form 6 for inclusion.
