SIR Protocol Breach: Karanataka BLOs Under Fire for Setting Up Camps in Wedding Halls and Mosques

The ongoing voter list revision drive in Karnataka has run into issues after election staff in some areas skipped door-to-door visits and held registration sessions in centralized or sensitive buildings instead.

The month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive requires Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit individual homes to verify names and distribute forms. However, local changes to this process have led to confusion and complaints from residents.

Verification Moved to a Wedding Hall in Vijayapura

In the Vijayapura district, election officials changed their approach by skipping house visits entirely. Instead, they set up their voter verification camp inside the Star Wedding Hall.

Officials asked residents from nearby areas to gather at the hall to update their voter details. While the setup allowed staff to process many people at once, it drew questions from locals who wondered why the standard door-to-door rules were not followed.

Bengaluru Drive Halted After Objections at a Mosque

A similar situation caused a dispute in Bengaluru’s BTM Layout, where BLOs set up registration tables outside a local mosque and a nearby private office.

A large number of residents gathered at the site to get their voter details checked. However, other neighbors objected to the setup, pointing out that official election work should not be centralized inside religious properties instead of individual homes.

Following the complaints, the booth officers stopped the drive, packed up their tables, and left the area.

The Election Commission has previously stated that this verification drive must rely on household visits to keep the voter lists accurate. Local authorities have not yet commented on whether the staff involved will face any action for changing the procedure.

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