More than 9.7 lakh electors have been added to the rolls compared to 2022, when the last such exercise was carried out for the areas under GBA (then BBMP).Data shows a 13.6% increase in female voters, an 11% rise in male voters, and an overall increase of 12.2%. Given the low base number, the others category has seen a 14% increase. As per data shared Monday, there were nearly 79.2 lakh electors in 2022, including over 41.1 lakh men, 38 lakh women, and 1,433 others. According to a senior official, the draft rolls have been divided using zone IDs (one for each corporation) and ward IDs (for wards in each of the corporations). The ward with ID number 23 in Bengaluru West city corporation has the highest number of electors at 49,530, while the ward with ID number 16 in Bengaluru East city corporation has the fewest (10,926).Citizens can check their names in the voter list and seek corrections between Jan 20 and Feb 3. During the period, booth-level officers (BLOs) will visit households for verification and citizens will have an opportunity to submit their claims and objections. The disposal of claims and objections will be carried out from Feb 4 to 18, and the final electoral rolls will be published on March 16, the officer added. No special intensive revisionThe SEC does not plan to exercise SIR (special intensive revision) for the GBA elections. Sangreshi said the current window for objections and corrections serves the same purpose. “This period for objections and corrections is similar to SIR. We don’t need to constitute a separate SIR team, and we are encouraging citizens to make the required changes during this window,” he said.Referring to the SIR that was conducted during the recent Bihar elections, Sangreshi clarified that the exercise had been initiated by the central poll agency.Impact of panchayat polls Apart from the GBA elections, zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat polls in Karnataka, pending since 2021, are also due. A high court hearing is scheduled for Jan 30 on an affidavit filed by the SEC against the govt over delays in conducting these elections. Senior officials told TOI that if the court directs the govt to hold ZP and TP elections at the earliest, priority may be given to those polls. This could potentially delay the GBA elections due to logistical challenges and time constraints.
