The Election Commission on Friday published the 2024 draft electoral rolls for Karnataka with a total electorate of 5,33,77,162 voters, which is an increase by 2,91,596 voters since the election roll was published ahead of the elections to the Legislative Assembly.
The final electoral rolls will be published on January 5, 2024, after the completion of special summary revision of the rolls with respect to the qualifying date of January 1, 2024.
The 2024 draft electoral rolls includes 2,68,02,838 male voters, 2,65,69,428 female voters, and 4,896 other voters. In comparison with the 2023 draft electoral rolls, the number has increased by 25,23,317 electors.
The draft rolls of 2024 has 13,45,707 young voters (18-19 years), 4,896 third gender voters, 3,056 overseas voters, 5,66,777 voters with disabilities, 11,76,093 voters who are above 80 years, and 47,172 service electors.
Highest and lowest
Of the 224 Assembly constituencies, Bengaluru South has the highest number of voters with 7,06,207 and Sringeri has the lowest number of voters with 1,66,907.
The number of polling stations in Karnataka now stands at 58,834, a net increase by 552 after 845 polling stations were added and 292 polling stations were merged.
Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, Manoj Kumar Meena, told presspersons here on Friday that people had time till December 9 to file their claims and objections, and that the disposal of claims and objections would be completed by December 26. “Special drives on November 18 and 19, and December 2 and 3 at respective polling booths will be held to enrol young voters, vulnerable persons, and those who have missed the enrolment,” he said.
The Election Commission has also made 6,02,199 additions and approved 3,89,353 deletions since the election rolls of 2023 were published.
In all, 18,88,243 applications were received for addition, deletion, and correction of which 16,31,547 applications were approved while 1,71,964 applications were rejected. As many as 6,39,995 cases of correction were approved.
The number of young voters (18-19 years) had gone up from 11,71,558 in the election roll to 13,45,707 in the 2024 draft roll. In contrast, the number of electors above 80 years had declined from 12,15,920 in the election roll to 11,76,093 in the draft roll. The number of electors with disabilities had marginally declined from 5,71,288 in the election roll to 5,66,777 in the draft roll. The number of the third gender voters had also declined from 4,927 to 4,896.
Mr. Meena said that while the gender ratio as per the 2011 census data was 973, the gender ratio as per the electoral roll was 991.
The gender ratio in the draft electoral roll of 2023 was 986. The gender ratio was positive in 115 constituencies where female voters outnumbered males. The highest gender ratio was in Mangaluru City South at 1,092 while the lowest was in Mahadevapura at 859.
Low EP ratio in BTM Layout
The elector population ratio that was 68.02 % as per the 2011 census was now 69.21 % in the 2024 draft rolls. While the highest EP ratio was in Chamundeshwari constituency with 93.95 %, the lowest — 47.45 % — was in BTM layout.
On the very low EP ratio in BTM layout, he said that despite a house-to-house survey to find out whether people were left out from the electoral list, the reason was not clear.
“It is also difficult to know movement of people in Bengaluru. Since the census had not taken place since 2011, it is only a guess work based on the projected population figure. We have done house-to-house survey twice already.”
Bogus voter ID case: EC awaiting police report
The Election Commission was awaiting a report from the police on their action against a computer centre at Hebbal here, where voter identification card was being printed.
Mr. Meena said that only the EC was authorised to give the voter ID.
“The police have found various government IDs being printed at the computer centre. Even voter ID was being printed. However, these are bogus voter ID cards and they (numbers) are not in the electoral rolls. They cannot be used in polls,” he said.
Mr. Meena pointed out that they were planning to invoke the provisions under the Representation of People Act.
