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V Anbukumar (second left), chief electoral officer of Karnataka, reviews SIR documents in Mangaluru on Saturday

Mangaluru: Karnataka state chief electoral officer V Anbukkumar instructed officials to thoroughly inspect cases involving absent, shifted, deceased, and duplicate (ASDD) voters and conduct a proper mahazar (verification report) during the SIR process. This list must also be shared with political party agents. If any changes are necessary, details should be verified and updated accordingly, he said.Speaking at a review meeting held on Saturday at the deputy commissioner’s office regarding the progress of the SIR process in Dakshina Kannada, Anbukkumar clarified that no eligible individual will lose their voting rights due to the SIR process.He assured citizens that there is no need to worry about losing voting rights during the SIR exercise.

He noted that if an eligible voter’s name is omitted from the final voters’ list following the revision, they can apply for inclusion by submitting Form 6.Enumeration forms have already been distributed to voters. Once collected, the process of digitising these forms must be expedited. If voters are unable to return the form within the stipulated timeframe, they can still apply for inclusion by submitting Form 6 along with the required documents and declaration after the publication of the final electoral roll, he said.He added that completing the digitisation process quickly will help in preparing for the publication of the draft electoral list, urging booth level officers (BLOs) and concerned authorities to focus on this task.Deputy commissioner Darshan HV informed that out of 18,03,766 voters in Dakshina Kannada, enumeration forms have been distributed to everyone. Among these, 14,97,139 forms have been digitised, achieving an 83% completion rate. So far, 65,588 voters in the district have been identified under the ASDD category. To assist voters, 1,098 facilitationcenters are operational across the district. Additionally, a toll-free helpline number (1950) has been set up to address queries and resolve doubts, the DC said.Additional DC K Raju and other officials were present at the meeting.Visit to polling stationFollowing the meeting, Anbukumar visited the polling booth at Capitanio School in the Mangaluru South assembly constituency to inspect the SIR process. He reviewed the enumeration forms collected by the BLOs and offered guidance. He expressed appreciation for the facilities and preparations made for voters at the booth.