SIR: 1,217 voters found ineligible in Dakshina Kannada electoral draft roll

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 17: Electoral registration officers (EROs) in Dakshina Kannada (DK) have identified 1,217 voters as ineligible for inclusion in the final electoral roll during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to figures available as of Thursday.

The district’s draft electoral roll contains 16,46,387 voters, comprising 8,07,600 men, 8,38,768 women and 19 third-gender voters. Officials generated 1,50,131 notices over discrepancies in voter details, and all the notices have been delivered. The deadline for completing the hearings is October 22.

The notices were issued for various discrepancies, including differences in the ages of parents and grandparents, gaps between the ages of parents and their children, lack of mapping with the previous SIR, mismatches in voters’ names, and ASDD cases involving absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate entries.

Officials said the district had made substantial progress in the revision exercise by expediting the delivery of notices and conducting hearings. Hearings have been completed for 1,49,493 notices, while 308 individuals have missed their hearing deadlines for the second time.

To speed up the verification process, the district administration has deployed an additional 148 assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) to conduct hearings and complete the exercise within the stipulated period.

Of the voters flagged during scrutiny, 595 were found ineligible for inclusion in the final electoral roll due to logical discrepancies, while 621 were categorised as ineligible owing to a lack of mapping with the previous SIR.

Officials said voters whose discrepancies remain unresolved during the hearings will have their names removed from the final electoral roll. However, those excluded will have the option of applying for fresh enrolment by submitting Form 6.

An official said applicants must submit Form 6 along with copies of the relevant supporting documents to the concerned ERO or AERO in person. Alternatively, applications can be sent by post or handed over to the booth-level officer (BLO) responsible for the voter’s polling area.

The authorities have advised affected voters to complete the necessary formalities within the prescribed deadline so that their eligibility can be considered during the revision process.

The constituency-wise breakup of ineligible voters as of October 15 shows that Puttur recorded the highest number at 195, followed by Mangaluru City South with 194 and Belthangady with 179. Bantwal reported 157 ineligible voters, while Mangaluru recorded 144 and Sullia 142. Mangaluru City North accounted for 126 cases, while Moodbidri recorded the lowest number at 80.