Bengaluru, June 29: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday urged all eligible voters in the state to compulsorily participate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls beginning June 30. He warned that failure to submit the required enumeration forms on time could lead to the loss of voting rights and potentially affect access to government welfare schemes.

Addressing a press conference at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Shivakumar stated that the month-long exercise is mandatory for every citizen. “From June 30 to July 29, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed by the Election Commission will visit every household to distribute the Enumeration Form. Every voter must compulsorily fill out and submit this form within 30 days along with required verification documents and a recent photograph. If you fail to submit it despite the BLO visiting your house three times, your name will be removed, and you will lose your voting rights. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5,” he said.

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Emphasizing that compliance applies to everyone regardless of status, the Chief Minister added, “Even I, DK Shivakumar, despite being the Chief Minister of Karnataka, must compulsorily fill and submit this form to keep my vote valid. Otherwise, even my vote will not remain on the electoral roll.” He further cautioned that losing voting rights could create hurdles in availing state welfare and guarantee schemes in the future, including old-age pensions, widow pensions, Gruha Jyoti, Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, or housing allotments, as maintaining voter registry serves as a foundational validation.

Each individual must submit a separate form. If a member is absent, another household member can sign on their behalf. To support citizens, the government is setting up 49,320 facilitation centers across all Gram Panchayats and urban wards. Voters can use their EPIC number and verify details using birth certificates, passports, caste certificates, or pension records. More than 5.5 crore digital caste certificates are already available, which can be downloaded via WhatsApp if a valid mobile number is registered. Clarifying the government’s stance on welfare schemes, he concluded that benefits will not be stopped immediately, but omitting names from the draft roll will create legal and bureaucratic complications later.

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