Lose vote, lose benefits: DK Shivakumar warns as SIR exercise begins in Karnataka
Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar warned voters to submit SIR forms on time, saying failure could affect voting rights and access to welfare schemes and adding that even he, despite being Chief Minister, must fill and submit the form or his vote will not remain on the electoral roll.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday urged all eligible voters in the state to compulsorily participate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls beginning June 30, warning that failure to submit enumeration forms could lead to loss of voting rights and affect access to government welfare schemes.
Addressing a press conference at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said voters must treat the exercise as mandatory and ensure timely submission of forms distributed by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
“All voters in the state must complete the registration process to safeguard their voting rights. From June 30 to July 29, BLOs appointed by the Election Commission will visit every household and distribute the Enumeration Form. Every voter must compulsorily fill out and submit the form within 30 days, along with the required documents and a recent photograph,” he said.
“This is the responsibility of every voter. If you fail to submit the form, you will lose your voting rights. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5. BLOs will visit your home three times to provide the form. If you receive it but do not submit it, you will lose your voting rights,” he added.
Shivakumar stressed that participation was essential regardless of status and said, “Even I, DK Shivakumar, despite being the Chief Minister of Karnataka, must compulsorily fill and submit the enumeration form. Only then will my vote remain valid. Otherwise, even my vote will not remain on the electoral roll.”
He further cautioned that losing voting rights could have wider implications for citizens.
“Voting rights are the right to life,” he said. “Those who lose their voting rights may face difficulty accessing government benefits in the future. Whether it is an old-age pension, widow pension, Gruha Jyoti, Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, housing benefits, site allotments or any other government scheme, the foundation for receiving these benefits is that you must retain your right to vote.”
“Failure to retain voting rights could make it difficult to avail government benefits,” he warned, adding that “If you do not retain your voting rights, you may face difficulties in availing guarantee schemes, pensions and other state government welfare schemes.”
He also appealed for full participation during the month-long exercise. “Every individual must submit a separate form. If someone is not present at home, another member of the household may sign the form on their behalf and return it to the BLO,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government had created an extensive support system to assist citizens, including facilitation centres and document access services.
“An assistance centre will be established in every Gram Panchayat and urban ward. A total of 49,320 assistance centres will be set up across the state,” he said.
He added that voters could use their EPIC number and submit one of several documents for verification, including birth certificates, passports, caste certificates, pension records and housing allotment documents.
“Those who have provided a valid mobile number while obtaining their caste certificate can download it through WhatsApp,” he said.
Shivakumar said more than 5.5 crore caste certificates and records were already available in digital form. “We have decided to assist all 5.5 crore people by reaching them directly,” he said.
He said Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of political parties could also assist voters in the process, while awareness campaigns would be carried out through multiple platforms.
Responding to concerns over eligibility for welfare schemes, he clarified, “We are not going to stop any benefits immediately. We only need to collect and verify the required information.”
However, he reiterated that non-compliance could create future hurdles. “If your name is missing from the draft roll, several complications will arise afterwards,” he said.
The SIR exercise will be conducted from June 30 to July 29, with the draft electoral roll to be published on August 5.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday urged all eligible voters in the state to compulsorily participate in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls beginning June 30, warning that failure to submit enumeration forms could lead to loss of voting rights and affect access to government welfare schemes.
Addressing a press conference at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said voters must treat the exercise as mandatory and ensure timely submission of forms distributed by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
“All voters in the state must complete the registration process to safeguard their voting rights. From June 30 to July 29, BLOs appointed by the Election Commission will visit every household and distribute the Enumeration Form. Every voter must compulsorily fill out and submit the form within 30 days, along with the required documents and a recent photograph,” he said.
“This is the responsibility of every voter. If you fail to submit the form, you will lose your voting rights. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5. BLOs will visit your home three times to provide the form. If you receive it but do not submit it, you will lose your voting rights,” he added.
Shivakumar stressed that participation was essential regardless of status and said, “Even I, DK Shivakumar, despite being the Chief Minister of Karnataka, must compulsorily fill and submit the enumeration form. Only then will my vote remain valid. Otherwise, even my vote will not remain on the electoral roll.”
He further cautioned that losing voting rights could have wider implications for citizens.
“Voting rights are the right to life,” he said. “Those who lose their voting rights may face difficulty accessing government benefits in the future. Whether it is an old-age pension, widow pension, Gruha Jyoti, Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, housing benefits, site allotments or any other government scheme, the foundation for receiving these benefits is that you must retain your right to vote.”
“Failure to retain voting rights could make it difficult to avail government benefits,” he warned, adding that “If you do not retain your voting rights, you may face difficulties in availing guarantee schemes, pensions and other state government welfare schemes.”
He also appealed for full participation during the month-long exercise. “Every individual must submit a separate form. If someone is not present at home, another member of the household may sign the form on their behalf and return it to the BLO,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government had created an extensive support system to assist citizens, including facilitation centres and document access services.
“An assistance centre will be established in every Gram Panchayat and urban ward. A total of 49,320 assistance centres will be set up across the state,” he said.
He added that voters could use their EPIC number and submit one of several documents for verification, including birth certificates, passports, caste certificates, pension records and housing allotment documents.
“Those who have provided a valid mobile number while obtaining their caste certificate can download it through WhatsApp,” he said.
Shivakumar said more than 5.5 crore caste certificates and records were already available in digital form. “We have decided to assist all 5.5 crore people by reaching them directly,” he said.
He said Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of political parties could also assist voters in the process, while awareness campaigns would be carried out through multiple platforms.
Responding to concerns over eligibility for welfare schemes, he clarified, “We are not going to stop any benefits immediately. We only need to collect and verify the required information.”
However, he reiterated that non-compliance could create future hurdles. “If your name is missing from the draft roll, several complications will arise afterwards,” he said.
The SIR exercise will be conducted from June 30 to July 29, with the draft electoral roll to be published on August 5.
