SIR: 61% of Karnataka electors with cut-off age mapped; progress slow in GBA

Preparations for the State-wide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are gathering momentum in Karnataka, with the election authorities completing more than 61% of voter roll mapping across the State, with Bengaluru being the outlier.

As many as 1.92 crore electors with the cut-off age of 40 had been mapped out of the 3.12 crore identified in the 2025 rolls till January 15.

Overall, 3.28 crore electors — combining system-verified and Booth Level Officer (BLO)-verified entries — have been mapped so far across the State. This works out to 58.74% of the total 5.57 crore electors as per 2025 rolls.

Fresh target set

Sources said district election officials had been directed to complete mapping of at least one more crore electors by the end of this month.

“Urban areas, particularly the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits, have been asked to step up the pace,” the sources said.

District-wise data showed that mapping is on track in most southern, central, and northern districts, while Bengaluru’s urban segments continue to lag.

Officials said that the mapping exercise was central to cleaning the rolls, removing duplication, and ensuring that no eligible elector was left out.

“This will feed into subsequent steps, including field verification, hearings, and updating of entries,” an official said.

Across districts

Several districts have crossed the 70% mark in mapping electors above the cut-off age. Koppal (75.1%), Chitradurga (75.7%), Haveri (75.1%), Tumakuru (76.4%) and Vijayapura (70.8%) are among the better-performing regions.

Smaller districts such as Kodagu (70.4%) and Chamarajanagar (75.5%) have also kept pace.

In coastal and southern Karnataka, Udupi has completed 66.5%, Dakshina Kannada 58.6%, and Mysuru 64.3%.

Bengaluru lags

The three zones in GBA area — Central, North and South — are trailing significantly, with mapping percentages between 26 and 27, at Central — 27.47; North — 27.33 and South — 26.05. Bengaluru Urban district outside GBA has also mapped just 29.9%.

Election officials said these areas posed challenges due to rapid migration, higher population mobility, and large numbers of unverified entries.

Progeny mapping

A second part of the SIR preparation involves mapping electors born after the 2002 base year (labelled “progeny”).

Alongside electors who meet the cut-off age, officials are updating “progeny data” — a set of records used to track young individuals who will reach eligibility in the coming years.

Statewide, 1.35 crore progeny records have been mapped so far. Districts such as Belagavi, Bagalkot, Tumakuru, and Vijayapura show higher consolidation of progeny data, while Bengaluru zones remain low owing to incomplete base-level verification.

BLOs to begin verification

With system-based mapping nearing saturation, the remaining electors will require field verification. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are expected to begin intensified door-to-door visits over the next two weeks. Officials said the verification round would focus on confirming identity and address, deleting duplicate or shifted entries, and ensuring no eligible voter was left out. 

The SIR cycle will continue with further hearings and scrutiny before preparation of the final updated electoral rolls.

Political parties have been closely tracking the process, as the quality of the rolls could have implications for upcoming civic and Assembly elections.

Officials, however, maintained that the exercise was non-partisan and followed a laid-out procedure under the Election Commission’s guidelines.

Published – January 16, 2026 09:50 pm IST