Karnataka SIR deletes 99.76L names, fewer than 1,000 foreigners identified
· India · Indian Express, The Hindu
The Election Commission of India removed 99.76 lakh names from Karnataka’s voter rolls after a five‑month Special Intensive Revision, with under 1,000 flagged as foreigners, mostly from Nepal. Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar confirmed fewer than 1,000 foreigners, and most were from Nepal, along with some US, Canadian, Norwegian, and other nationals. The final roll now totals 4,54,55,689 voters, including 10.08 lakh new entries added during the SIR process. The deletions were based on enumeration forms, with 4.46 crore voters submitting forms and 1.08 crore not responding, resulting in 65,45,679 marked as shifted, 19,00,926 absent, 16,39,864 deceased, and 7,09,870 duplicates. The government attributed the low foreigner count to citizens relinquishing Indian citizenship.
Why it matters
The purge affects electoral integrity in a key political state, removing potentially ineligible voters and ensuring clean rolls for upcoming elections in Karnataka. It also highlights the challenge of identifying foreign nationals among voter lists, with only a few non‑Indian names flagged for deletion, reducing the risk of fraud in the region’s democratic process. The decision will likely prompt similar reviews in other states, reinforcing election fairness across India.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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