Mangaluru, Sep 28: Actor and social activist Prakash Raj on Monday questioned the conduct of Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, warning that genuine voters could face difficulties or exclusion if errors in the process are not properly addressed.

Speaking at a press meet at Ocean Pearl Hotel in Mangaluru, Raj said he was not opposed to removing illegal, duplicate or deceased entries from electoral rolls. “The issue is not whether illegal voters should be removed, but whether this process is being carried out correctly,” he said.

Raj pointed to the scale of the exercise, noting that more than 1.08 crore of Karnataka’s 5.54 crore electors were identified under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) categories during enumeration. Another 43.8 lakh voters were flagged under no-mapping or logical-discrepancy categories and are to be given an opportunity to establish their eligibility.

He questioned whether adequate time and verification mechanisms were available to prevent genuine voters from being affected by errors in earlier electoral records, including differences in names, dates of birth and addresses. He also highlighted the difficulties such discrepancies could create for elderly people and economically vulnerable citizens.

Recalling his own experience, Raj said he had shifted only a few streets away from his earlier address but was asked to submit Form 6. He questioned whether an existing voter seeking an address correction should instead be able to use the procedure meant for shifting residence.

Raj also raised concerns about the centralisation of electoral data and the ECINET system, saying these issues warranted greater transparency and scrutiny. He said activists were documenting voter grievances at polling booths across Karnataka, including Mangaluru, Bengaluru, Kodagu, Raichur and Belagavi.

The evidence, he said, would be presented at a joint press conference in Bengaluru.

Election authorities, meanwhile, say voters affected by mapping issues or discrepancies have an opportunity to file claims and objections and submit supporting documents. The Election Commission also provides procedures for correction of existing electoral entries and shifting of residence.

Raj urged citizens to check their electoral details and said the revision must ensure that efforts to clean up voter rolls do not inadvertently prevent eligible citizens from exercising their franchise.