Karnataka to issue permanent residence certificates amid ECI’s voter roll revision
Officials said the certificates would provide citizens with an additional government document to determine their residency status and help ensure that eligible voters are not excluded from voter rolls.
The government has authorized MPs, collectors and other officers notified by the government or deputy district commissioners to issue the certificates. Deputy commissioners will be designated as appellate authorities, while deputy commissioners will serve as revision authorities.
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar started the census drive by sending the census form to his Sadashivanagar residence in Bengaluru.
According to the ECI, booth-level officers will conduct house-to-house verification until July 29. Draft voter rolls will be published on August 5, and claims and objections can be made until September 4. The final voter rolls will be announced on October 7 after the objections are resolved.
The state cabinet said it supported a transparent and evidence-based revision of the electoral rolls but expressed concern about what it described as lack of transparency, arbitrariness and the possibility of voters being disenfranchised under the current SIR framework.
ECI must address concerns: Kharge
Home Minister Priyank Kharge said he supports reviewing the electoral rolls of Karnataka but opposes any process that could result in disenfranchisement of eligible voters. He said the ECI was yet to respond to the concerns raised by the Congress. Kharge urged the survey panel to conduct an independent review of the SIR implementation, including its legal basis, deletion criteria, auditing mechanism, software systems and security measures. He also demanded that the deadline for submission of census forms be extended to at least three months to reduce pressure on cabin-level officers and administration.
He called on the ECI to publish detailed standard operating procedures spelling out the inconsistency criteria, software logic, responsible authorities and documents required for verification. He said minor spelling, spelling or transliteration errors should not be grounds for appeal.
Kharge said no voter should be struck off the rolls without prior notice, field verification by booth-level officials, opportunity to be heard and a reasoned order. It also asked the ECI to clarify the list of acceptable documents, reconsider the issue of exclusion of voter ID cards and Aadhaar and recognize the Kutumba identity of Karnataka where appropriate.
The minister also called for daily data on additions, deletions, notifications and orders to be made publicly available in a machine-readable format and for greater transparency in the software used for data entry, digitization and verification. It also called for protection for vulnerable groups, including women, migrant workers, slum dwellers, nomadic and certain tribes, widows, persons with disabilities, orphans and transgender persons.
