Civic polls: GBA seeks time extension for SEC for voter list verification

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao, connected Tuesday directed the Election Department to question an hold of clip from the State Election Commission for election-related enactment connected with the upcoming GBA metropolis corp polls. The determination follows concerns raised by governmental enactment representatives implicit the choky timelines for voter list verification and statutory procedures. 

Mr. Rao gave the directions portion chairing a gathering with representatives of governmental parties astatine the GBA caput bureau to sermon the revised circular issued by the State Election Commission connected the work of ward-wise draught voters’ lists for the 5 metropolis corporations nether the GBA. The draught voters’ database for the GBA elections was published connected January 19, pursuing which the State Election Commission released a revised predetermination docket connected January 22. Election-related activities are presently nether mode successful the respective metropolis corporations successful enactment with the revised schedule. 

During the meeting, representatives of governmental parties requested that additional time beryllium granted to implicit mandatory predetermination processes, citing applicable difficulties. Following this, Mr. Rao instructed officials to constitute to the State Election Commission seeking an extension. He besides directed officials to promptly code immoderate issues arising successful immoderate of the 5 metropolis corporations and to guarantee nationalist consciousness astir Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conducting door-to-door verification crossed each metropolis corporations. 

Special Commissioner (Election) R. Ramachandran said that the draught voters’ database had already been published and that BLOs were presently visiting households to person applications successful prescribed formats. He requested political enactment representatives to promote voters to verify their details successful the draught voters’ list, including inclusion of names, corrections and different changes, to assistance hole an error-free last voters’ list. 

Mr. Ramachandran besides said during the gathering that the State Election Commission has stipulated that each polling presumption should cater to a maximum of 1,500 voters, and that polling stations would beryllium acceptable up accordingly successful each wards.   

Political enactment representatives also sought much clip to guarantee that assembly voters falling nether a peculiar ward are not duplicated crossed aggregate ward voters’ lists, to lucifer ward-level voters’ lists with corresponding assembly voters’ lists, and to incorporated eligible voters into the ward draught voters’ database arsenic Supplementary List–1, based connected supplementary Assembly voters’ lists published aft October 1, 2025, utilizing the online From–To Matrix software. They besides called for wide publicity of the workout and appealed to voters to cooperate with the verification process.