With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) now under way in the State, Karnataka is likely to have 11 types of “logical discrepancy”, if the same framework followed in other Phase III States is adopted. When the category was first introduced during the SIR in West Bengal, only four logical discrepancies were identified.
While Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Anbu Kumar, addressing a press conference on Monday, said that “six categories of logical discrepancy have been identified”, he maintained that whether they would be applied would only be decided once the draft electoral rolls are published on August 5.
He, however, said that “the categories may increase after the draft electoral rolls are out. The exact number will only be known after the draft electoral roll,” he said.
Unlawful discrimination
However, as seen in other States that are part of the Phase III SIR, 11 categories have been identified. If different States, apply different categories under the same legal framework, it could create different grounds for ‘rejection’ under the same law, which is considered ‘unlawful discrimination’. However, dismissing the apprehensions, the CEO said that “confusions should not be created in the first place about rejections.”
Discrepancies
The categories include – less than a nine-month gap between progeny (siblings), less than a 15-year or more than a 50-year age gap between parent and progeny, less than a 40-year age gap between an elector and grandparent, different parent names between the current roll and the previous SIR, mapping with a different relative type between the current roll and the previous SIR (father/mother), mapping with the father in the current roll and the husband in the previous SIR, different father names in the current roll and the previous SIR, incorrect age difference between the current roll and the previous SIR, absence of any supporting document, and Aadhaar being the sole document submitted.
Similar categories have been identified and announced already in states undertaking the Phase III SIR, including Telangana and Haryana. Political parties and rights groups argue that since all Phase III states are implementing the exercise under the same Election Commission notification, Karnataka is likely to follow the same framework.
In Telangana, where house-to-house voter enumeration under the exercise began on June 25, as many as 89.88 lakh electors have already been flagged for anomalies in their data.
Categories under logical discrepancy
Less than nine months gap between progeny (siblings)
Less than 15 years or more than 50 years age gap between progeny and parent
Less than 40 years age gap between elector and grandparent
Different parent name between current roll and previous SIR
Mapping done with different relative type between current roll and previous SIR (father/mother)
Mapped with the husband in the current roll and with the father in the previous SIR
Different father names in current roll and last SIR
Incorrect age difference between current and last SIR
Absence of any kind of document — zero documents
Aadhaar being the sole document
More than six children linked to a person
Marital status
One of the categories flags cases where a woman is linked to her husband in the current electoral roll but to her father in the previous SIR. This could affect lakhs of women who were unmarried during the 2002 SIR but are now married, as their records may be flagged for verification and they could receive notices.
The Election Commission’s May 14 notification announcing the SIR also states that, after the draft electoral roll is published, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) shall issue notices to electors whose records could not be linked to the previous revision or whose linkage reveals ‘discrepancies.’ This indicates that such verification through logical discrepancy is envisaged for all states covered under the Phase III SIR exercise.
“After publication of the draft electoral roll, the ERO shall issue notices to those persons who could not be linked or whose linkage with the electoral roll of the last revision reveals discrepancies. The ERO will publish lists of such persons to whom notices have been issued,” the Election Commission stated.
Under these directions, notices can be issued to two categories of voters. The first are those whose current voter records could not be linked to the electoral roll from the last SIR (2002 in Karnataka), meaning officials were unable to trace a corresponding earlier record. The second are those whose records could be linked, but where the linkage itself raised inconsistencies. In both cases, voters can be served notices and asked to explain the discrepancies or submit supporting documents before the final electoral roll is published.
Published – June 30, 2026 10:13 pm IST
