Karnataka final roll after SIR: 4.55 crore voters, 99.32 lakh fewer; second-steepest fall after Arunachal
Key facts
- On 27 October 2026, Karnataka published its final electoral roll after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). It lists 4,55,00,011 voters.
- The roll had 5,54,32,314 voters before the SIR. The fall of 99.32 lakh, or 17.92%, is second only to Arunachal Pradesh's 22%.
- Across the 24 States and UTs with final rolls, voter lists have shrunk by 7.04 crore, about 10%. The SIR continues in eight more states.
- The 24 August draft roll had 4.47 crore names. Notices went to 43.8 lakh voters; 61,867 were found ineligible after hearings.
- 10.08 lakh new voters were added during claims and objections. Women (2.29 crore) now outnumber men (2.26 crore) on the roll.
Why it matters
[Data] These are the hardest numbers yet on what the Special Intensive Revision does to a large state's roll. Karnataka's 17.92% fall is the second steepest among 24 States and UTs. Bengaluru Urban alone lost over 40% of its electors, from 1.03 crore to 59.6 lakh, mostly names marked shifted, absent or duplicate. The Chief Electoral Officer says every deletion followed a notice, a hearing and a reasoned order, and that fewer than 1,000 foreigners were found. For exams, link the story to Article 324 (the Commission controls the preparation of rolls), Article 326 (adult suffrage), the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which set Forms 6, 7 and 8. (Also: National Herald, 27 October 2026, for the CEO's figures.)