'Lose vote, lose benefits': Shivakumar's warning as Karnataka SIR begins
What's the story
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has urged citizens to participate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The exercise, which started on Tuesday and will continue till July 29, is aimed at updating voter lists across the state. "The right to vote is the right to live," Shivakumar said, warning that losing voting rights could also mean losing access to government benefits. '
Welfare warning
'If you lose right to vote, you'll lose government benefits'
Shivakumar stressed that failure to submit enumeration forms could lead to loss of voting rights. "From June 30 to July 29, BLOs appointed by the Election Commission will visit every household and distribute the Enumeration Form. Every voter must compulsorily fill out and submit the form within 30 days, along with the required documents and a recent photograph," he said. "This is the responsibility of every voter. If you fail to submit the form, you will lose your voting rights."
Voter assistance
BLOs will visit each home 3 times
He also said that BLOs will visit each home three times to provide the form. "If you receive it but do not submit it, you will lose your voting rights," he added. To help citizens with the SIR process, the Karnataka government has set up a wide support system. This includes 49,320 assistance centers across Gram Panchayats and urban wards. Voters can use their EPIC number and submit documents like birth certificates or caste certificates for verification.
Registration drive
BLOs deployed to visit every household
Shivakumar also said over 5.5 crore caste certificates are available digitally to assist voters directly during this exercise. The Election Commission has deployed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit every household in Karnataka. More than 5.5 crore voters' worth of Enumeration Forms (two sets per voter) have been printed and distributed to BLOs across the state.
Roll update
Draft electoral roll to be published on August 5
The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, after which citizens can file claims and objections till September 4. The final electoral roll will be published on October 7. Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Anbukumar has assured that the entire process will be conducted as per the law under the directions of the Election Commission of India.