Karnataka SIR: 127 voters flagged as non-citizens in 52 Assembly constituencies

Bengaluru, Oct 27 : A total of 127 voters across 52 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka have been flagged as "Not an Indian Citizen" in electoral records during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to constituency-wise data released by political research consultancy Sankalp.

The figures have emerged amid growing concerns over transparency and procedural compliance in the process of removing names from the state's electoral rolls.

Hebbal recorded the highest number of voters flagged under the category, with 13 entries, followed by Padmanabhanagar with 10, Shivajinagar with eight and Mahadevapura with seven. Chittapur, Byatarayanapura and Rajarajeshwarinagar recorded five entries each, while Honnali had four.

Bijapur City, Sedam, Tirthahalli, Sira, Chickpet, Anekal, Malavalli and Melukote recorded three entries each. Several other constituencies reported one or two such entries.

The data indicates that the number of voters specifically flagged as non-citizens is relatively small compared with the much larger number of applications submitted for deletion of names during the SIR exercise. However, being classified under this category does not, by itself, establish an individual's nationality or immigration status.

Concerns have also been raised over the handling of Form-7 applications, which are used to seek the deletion of names from electoral rolls. At least 61,059 such applications were reportedly filed by election officials without recording reasons for the proposed deletions, despite procedural requirements governing objections.

The applications were reportedly generated automatically in cases where voters could not be contacted during hearings relating to mapping issues or logical discrepancies. The exercise covered cases involving voters who had shifted residence, duplicate entries, underage voters, deceased persons and individuals categorised as non-citizens.

The number of Form-7 applications witnessed a sharp increase after the claims and objections period ended on September 23. While 192 applications were received between August 24 and September 23, more than 60,800 were filed between September 24 and October 22.

Election officials filed 10,105 applications on October 22, the last day for disposal of claims and objections. Another 10,314 applications were filed on October 21, while 11,132 and 11,760 applications were submitted on October 17 and 19, respectively.

Sample checks reportedly revealed that the names of some voters against whom applications had been filed were already removed from the electoral rolls, including cases involving applications submitted after the deadline.

A discrepancy has also been reported between the figures released by the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer's office and the consolidated Form-10 records available on the Election Commission of India's website. The CEO's office reported 1,70,442 Form-7 applications between September 24 and October 22, whereas the consolidated records showed 1,56,634, resulting in a difference of 13,808 applications.

Karnataka's final electoral roll under the SIR process is scheduled to be published on Tuesday.

Before the revision exercise began, the state had 5,54,32,314 voters as of June 16, 2026. Of these, 1,07,96,339 were identified under categories including absent, shifted, deceased, duplicated and other specified cases.

The draft electoral roll published on August 24 contained 4,46,35,975 voters. The Election Commission had also issued 43,82,824 notices concerning logical discrepancies and mapping issues in voter details.

The developments have renewed attention on the need for transparency, accountability and proper documentation in the electoral roll revision process, particularly when deletion of voters' names is proposed.