Bengaluru, June 30: A door-to-door voter verification exercise under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll commenced across Karnataka on Tuesday, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) beginning house visits to distribute enumeration forms.

The Election Commission said the exercise is aimed at preparing a clean and accurate electoral roll ahead of upcoming elections and ensuring that ineligible names do not remain on the voters’ list.

The exercise comes alongside the state’s rollout of a new framework for issuing Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs). The Karnataka government has notified detailed guidelines and a digital delivery mechanism to facilitate the time-bound issuance of these certificates across the state.

According to the Revenue Department, the framework seeks to establish a uniform, transparent and legally sustainable system for certifying permanent residence while integrating the process with the Karnataka Sakala Services Act, 2011, and existing digital governance platforms.

“The PRC shall constitute proof of permanent residence in the State of Karnataka,” a government order stated.

Under the guidelines, a certificate may be issued if authorities are satisfied, after verification and enquiry, that the applicant is a genuine and permanent resident of Karnataka.

Factors that may be considered include birth in Karnataka, residence in the state for at least ten years, studying in Karnataka-based educational institutions for ten academic years up to Class XII or equivalent, residence of parents or spouse, ownership or lawful occupation of residential property, entries in official records such as electoral rolls, Aadhaar or ration cards, government service in Karnataka for at least seven years, marriage to an eligible resident, and other documentary, electronic or oral evidence establishing Karnataka as the applicant’s principal place of residence.

The government clarified that these criteria are illustrative rather than exhaustive, and that the absence of any single factor would not automatically disqualify an applicant.

Deputy Tahsildars, Tahsildars and other authorised officers will issue the certificates. Appeals may be filed before the Assistant Commissioner within 30 days, while revision petitions can be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner within 60 days.

Ahead of the exercise, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar urged all eligible voters to participate in the SIR process. He warned that failure to submit the required enumeration form within the stipulated period could result in the loss of voting rights and may also create difficulties in accessing certain government welfare benefits.

“Right to vote is the right to live. Therefore, everyone must preserve their vote. If you do not, you will lose your right to vote. You may also lose access to several benefits provided by the government,” he said.

Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukkumar said BLOs would conduct house-to-house visits from June 30 to July 29. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, followed by a claims and objections period from August 5 to September 4. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 7.

Anbukkumar said the Election Commission has deployed more than 68,000 officials for the exercise, including 59,050 BLOs, 7,556 booth-level supervisors and 224 electoral registration officers. He added that political parties have appointed around 1.15 lakh booth-level agents, most of whom have already been trained.