EC Urged to Halt Duplicate Electoral Roll Updates in Greater Bangalore

Karnataka’s Labour and Employment Minister, Shobha Karandlajé, has appealed to the Election Commission of India to stop what she terms a "parallel" Special Electoral Roll (SER) being conducted by the Karnataka State Election Commission in assembly constituencies of the Greater Bangalore Authority.

According to the minister’s letter, the state election body has issued separate notifications with distinct cut‑off dates for its SER, a move that conflicts with the ECI’s schedule that already froze the voter list for the third phase of revisions. Karandlajé argued that the dual process could cause inconsistencies in voter data, leading to confusion among the electorate and administrative complications during the poll.

The minister emphasized that under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the authority to prepare and revise the electoral roll rests exclusively with the Election Commission of India. She requested an immediate inquiry into the legality of the KSEC’s actions and urged the ECI to issue binding instructions to prevent any further parallel modifications.

She also referenced a Supreme Court judgment that reaffirmed the ECI’s sole jurisdiction over SERs, reinforcing her demand for swift central intervention to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.