Bengaluru: With less than a week remaining before enumeration forms are printed for Karnataka's 5.5 crore electorate, the Election Commission has yet to map approximately 10% of voters, or 52.4 lakh individuals, on the 2025 electoral rolls.
Mapping Progress and Challenges
V. Anbukumar, Chief Electoral Officer, informed TOI that the tabletop exercise will continue until the draft electoral rolls are published. He stated, 'Regardless of mapping status, all voters on the 2025 electoral rolls will receive enumeration forms. They must fill these out and submit them when enumerators visit their homes.'
The least-mapped districts include BBMP South (69.9%), BBMP Central (70.3%), BBMP North (71.9%), BBMP Urban (79.9%), and Raichur (88.6%). In contrast, the highest-mapped regions are Kodagu (98.6%), Ballari (97.8%), Bagalkot (97.4%), Chitradurga (97.2%), and Chamarajanagar (97%).
Progeny Mapping Exceeds 100%
The mapping numbers have been driven by progeny mapping exceeding 100%. This refers to relatives of voters listed in the 2002 electoral rolls who were either too young to vote at that time or had been omitted. Out of 34 districts, including Bengaluru Urban and BBMP North, Central, and South, 30 have recorded progeny mapping of more than 100%. Excluding progeny mapping, the proportion of voters from the 2002 rolls who were mapped would drop to 72%.
Key Dates for Electoral Roll Process
- June 20: Special Intensive Revision (SIR) begins
- June 20–29: Staff training and preparation
- June 30–July 29: Door-to-door voter enumeration
- August 5: Publication of draft electoral rolls
- August 5–September 4: Claims and objections period
- August 5–October 3: Verification of objections
- October 7: Final electoral rolls published
Total electors, including progeny, stand at 5,55,74,064.
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About the Author
Pearl D'Souza is a principal correspondent at The Times of India, with nine years of journalism experience. She covers health, education, science, technology, and food, with a focus on public health infrastructure. She was certified as a Climate Correspondent by the Fulbright-Hays Public Diplomacy Program in 2024 and is a 2025 candidate for the United Nations' RAF Memorial Journalism Fellowship.
