Bengaluru SIR hearings begin Saturday, but voters still cannot see notice list

Bengaluru voters due for Special Intensive Revision hearings on Saturday still cannot check whether they have been issued a notice.

Data from the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer’s office showed that all notices had been generated by Friday. A notice may be issued where an electoral-roll record shows an anomaly or logical discrepancy, or where a voter’s 2002 roll details could not be mapped.

The notices assign a specific date and time for a hearing, leaving a narrow window for people who work in Bengaluru but are registered in other districts, or who are away from the city. Some voters have been calling Booth Level Officers to check their status, while BLOs have said notices are arriving in batches for distribution.

Civil society groups and political parties have sought publication of the list so voters do not miss their allotted hearing. The CEO’s office has said it will share lists with recognised political parties, but has not decided on public access. The exercise, originally scheduled to begin on August 24, was delayed by nine days; hearings must now finish by October 12.