Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Karnataka Draft Voter Roll Removes More Than One Crore Names
Karnataka has published a new draft list of people allowed to vote.
The list has about 4.4 crore voters, compared with 5.5 crore before the checking began.
This means more than one crore names are not currently on the draft list.
Officials say many people were marked as having moved, died, been absent or appeared more than once.
Some names were put into an unclear “other” category.
People who think their names were wrongly removed can complain between August 24 and September 23.
Officials will consider appeals before publishing the final list on October 27.
Critics worry that genuine voters could be excluded, while the Election Commission says the revision is a legal electoral-roll exercise.
Karnataka’s draft voter roll contains 4.4 crore voters, down from 5.5 crore before the revision.
More than one crore names were excluded, representing 19.4% of the previous electorate.
The exclusions include permanently shifted, deceased, absent and duplicate voters, along with an unexplained “other” category.
The highest number of deletions was recorded in Bengaluru’s urban districts.
Voters can file claims and objections from August 24 to September 23, with the final roll due October 27.
- Who
- Karnataka voters, the Election Commission of India and Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar are involved.
- What
- More than one crore names were excluded from Karnataka’s draft electoral roll during a special intensive revision.
- When
- The draft was published on Monday; claims can be filed from August 24 to September 23, appeals will be heard by October 22, and the final roll is scheduled for October 27.
- Where
- Karnataka, with the largest deletions recorded in Bengaluru’s urban districts.
- Why
- The electoral rolls are being checked and revised as part of the third phase of the special intensive revision.
Critics and voter-rights concerns
Election authorities and legal position
Risk of excluding genuine voters
Critics and voter-rights concerns
Concerns have been raised that the revision could remove genuine voters from the rolls and potentially affect electoral outcomes.
Election authorities and legal position
The exercise is being conducted as a formal revision of electoral rolls, with notices, claims, objections and appeals available before the final list is issued.
Meaning of the exclusions
Critics and voter-rights concerns
The “other” category, covering more than 3.8 lakh names, was not explained in the report, raising questions about how some removals were classified.
Election authorities and legal position
Officials identified categories including permanently shifted, deceased, absent and duplicate voters, and said notices would be sent to 43 lakh people whose forms had anomalies or had not been mapped.
Scope of the Election Commission’s authority
Critics and voter-rights concerns
The scale of deletions has prompted concern about the possible electoral impact of the revision.
Election authorities and legal position
The Supreme Court of India upheld the revision’s legality but clarified that it does not authorize the Election Commission of India to determine whether someone is an Indian citizen.
- Voters before revision
- 5.5 crore
- Voters in draft roll
- 4.4 crore
- Names excluded
- More than one crore, or 19.4% of the electorate
- Permanently shifted
- 65.4 lakh
- Marked deceased
- 12.3 lakh
- Marked absent
- 15.1 lakh
- Duplicate entries
- 7 lakh
- Final roll date
- October 27