Karnataka CEO to review areas with unusually high or low ASDDO voter figures

In Bengaluru, at least nine Assembly constituencies have more than 40% of their electorate categorised under ASDDO, while none has a figure below 30%.

Published - July 29, 2026 10:47 pm IST | Bengaluru

By The Hindu Bureau

Areas reporting unusually high or low numbers of voters under the “Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead and Others” (ASDDO) category will be reviewed, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Anbu Kumar said on Wednesday (July 29), while maintaining that mahazars had been conducted in all cases.

He made the remarks following concerns over a large number of voters being classified under ASDDO in several Assembly constituencies.

Key Data Points

• At least nine Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru have more than 40% of their electorate categorised under ASDDO.
• No constituency in Bengaluru has a figure below 30%.
• As of 4 p.m. on July 29, Basavanagudi and Bommanahalli had the highest proportions, with over 47% of voters falling under the category.
• BBMP South recorded the highest concentration, with five of its seven Assembly constituencies reporting ASDDO figures exceeding 40%.

CEO’s Response

Despite concerns raised by resident welfare associations, activists and political parties, Mr. Kumar said no such complaints had been received by his office. He maintained that every voter classified under ASDDO was supported by documentary or field evidence, including death certificates where applicable.

He added that any voter who has been wrongly marked as absent or shifted can submit the prescribed form to have the details corrected before the final electoral roll is published.

Election Commission Guidelines

Under the Election Commission’s guidelines, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) is required to:

• Make at least three physical visits before categorising a voter as absent or shifted.
• Mark a voter as “shifted” only after neighbours or current occupants confirm that the registered elector has relocated.
• Mark a voter as “absent” if the voter was not present during the enumeration phase.

Concerns Raised by BLOs

However, several BLOs told The Hindu that these procedures were not uniformly followed:

• Verification stickers, which are required to be pasted on premises, were not used in many cases.
• Voters categorised as absent or shifted were not informed.
• Some BLOs admitted that genuine electors, including members of the same family, had been wrongly classified as shifted or absent.

Political Response

While the CEO said no complaints had been received from political parties, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee on July 29 submitted a representation expressing concern that more than 80 lakh electors had been placed under the ASDDO category.

The Congress, in its letter to the CEO, requested:

1. Conduct a second round of physical verification in all cases likely to result in deletion.
2. Ensure that no elector is removed on the basis of a single visit or incomplete verification.
3. Provide adequate notice before deletion.
4. Establish additional facilitation centres for corrections.
5. Publish category-wise and constituency-wise deletion statistics.

Published - July 29, 2026 10:47 pm IST