Kolar officials get notices over SIR lapses in Karnataka

Bengaluru: The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka has come under scrutiny after alleged procedural violations were reported from Kolar and Mysuru. In Kolar, the District Administration has issued notices to a tahsildar, an Assistant Commissioner (AC), a supervisor and five Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for alleged dereliction of duty during the revision exercise.

The action follows reports that officials responsible for electoral roll verification failed to conduct the mandatory door-to-door verification and instead gathered members of the public at a single location to complete the process.

Earlier, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar had directed all district election officers to ensure that BLOs carry out house-to-house visits as per the Election Commission’s guidelines.

However, reports indicated that BLOs assigned to polling booths 185 to 189 in Kolar allegedly ignored the prescribed procedure and conducted the exercise collectively by assembling voters at one place. After media reports highlighted the issue, Kolar Deputy Commissioner MR Ravi initiated action and issued notices seeking explanations from the officials concerned.

Those served notices include Tahsildar Srinivas, Assistant Commissioner Jambagi Renukaprasad Dileep, Supervisor Muniraju, and BLOs Mohammed Arif Pasha, Nazia Khanum, Reshma Talat, Parveen Unnisa and Umada Banu.

Mysuru

Meanwhile, similar allegations have emerged from Mysuru district. In the N.R. Assembly constituency, BLOs are alleged to have conducted the SIR exercise by gathering voters at public places and polling stations instead of visiting households individually.

Residents have expressed concern over the alleged deviation from the Election Commission’s prescribed procedure and demanded that officials strictly follow the guidelines to ensure transparency and accuracy in the revision of electoral rolls.

The notices issued in Kolar come amid heightened political attention on the SIR exercise, with allegations and counter-allegations over the implementation of the electoral roll revision process surfacing from various parts of the state. Authorities are expected to examine the explanations submitted by the officials before deciding on further disciplinary action.