Karnataka SIR final list: Bengaluru loses 43 lakh names; Form 6 is the way back
Published · Updated
Karnataka's final roll, published on 27 October, has 99.32 lakh fewer voters than before the revision. The Bengaluru constituency figures, how Form 6 restores a deleted name, and why the Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission why deleted Delhi voters must use it.
Original report · Explained
Bengaluru's voter list is about 43 lakh names shorter after Karnataka published its final Special Intensive Revision (SIR) roll on 27 October 2026: it fell from about 1.03 crore electors to 59.08 lakh, Sabrang India reported (Sabrang India, 2026). If a name was deleted, the way back is Form 6, Outlook reported, but forms received after 23 September go into quarterly supplementary lists with no date set (Outlook, 2026).
Statewide, the final roll has 4.55 crore voters, a net fall of 99.32 lakh from 5.54 crore before the revision (Sabrang India, 2026; Outlook, 2026). Below: the Bengaluru figures, the route back, and the Supreme Court's 28 October question to the Election Commission of India (ECI) about Form 6. See how every outlet covered it.
Bengaluru's roll is about 43 lakh names shorter
Across the 28 constituencies within Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits, 46.88 lakh names sit in the ASDDO category: absent, shifted, dead, duplicate or others, Sabrang India reported (Sabrang India, 2026).
Search summaries of a National Herald report, which we could not open, give the largest constituency deletions (National Herald, 2026):
- Bengaluru South: 3.63 lakh
- Mahadevapura: 2.96 lakh
- Bommanahalli: 2.65 lakh
- K R Puram: 2.58 lakh
The same summaries give Shivajinagar 81,236. These figures are unchecked against the published roll, and no report we read has the full 28-constituency table. Most names were not removed as dead.
Most removals were people marked shifted
At the draft stage, the largest group was 80.62 lakh people marked shifted or untraceable, Outlook reported (Outlook, 2026). It also counted 16.39 lakh names removed as dead, more than 7 lakh duplicates and 3.83 lakh "others".
The 24 August draft had 4.46 crore names after about 1.08 crore removals; the final roll is 8.19 lakh larger, though Outlook puts names restored at 8.64 lakh (Sabrang India, 2026; Outlook, 2026).
Few of them have applied to return: only 7,87,534 Form 6 applications came from that group, Outlook reported, fewer than 1 in 10 (7.88 lakh of 80.62 lakh). That form is the one route the state has described.
Form 6 is the route back onto the roll
Deleted voters must apply on Form 6 to be restored, Outlook reported (Outlook, 2026). Form 6 is the form meant for first-time voters, a point the Supreme Court has now raised (Deccan Herald, 2026). Applications received after 23 September go into quarterly supplementary lists, and no date for the next list has been given.
Across Karnataka, 10,62,336 Form 6 applications were received between 16 June and 26 October 2026, and 83,806 were rejected, about 8%, Sabrang India reported (Sabrang India, 2026). To check whether a name survived, start with the constituency's final roll on the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) website.
No report we read sets out a first or second appeal against a deletion in the final roll; Outlook says none was mentioned. The CEO plans a post-revision enrolment drive, with no date given (Outlook, 2026). Our earlier report on the national revision explains who gets the new rolls: Electoral roll revision: ECI's searchable rolls go to parties and candidates, not voters.
The Supreme Court is now asking whether Form 6 is the right form at all.
The Supreme Court asked why deleted voters need Form 6
On 28 October, hearing the Delhi SIR case, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Bagchi and Mohana asked the ECI why deleted voters must file Form 6, a form for first-time voters, Deccan Herald reported (Deccan Herald, 2026). The bench suggested the enumeration form or Form 8 instead, and asked the ECI to consider extending Delhi's 30 October deadline. The ECI's counsel said it would examine the point.
These were oral remarks, not a written order, and the case concerns Delhi's roll. Karnataka's numbers are contested for another reason.
Why the deletions are disputed
Form 7 deletion applications filed in officials' names, with no reasons stated, numbered 61,059, Outlook reported; Sabrang India puts the figure at 61,509. Karnataka's CEO says no one was deleted merely because of a Form 7 (Outlook, 2026; Sabrang India, 2026). Officials also issued 43,82,824 notices over unmatched or discrepant details (Sabrang India, 2026).
The opposition's "Vote Chori" claims target Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. "Why are they protecting CEC Gyanesh Kumar?" Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X on 27 October (Sabrang India, 2026).
Coverage split the same way: India Today's headline led on the near 1 crore total (India Today, 2026), Outlook on unexplained objections, and Sabrang India on opposition claims against the CEO's denials.
What happens next
- 30 October 2026: Delhi's claims and objections deadline, which the Supreme Court asked the ECI to consider extending (Deccan Herald, 2026).
- No date yet: Karnataka's next quarterly supplementary list and its post-revision enrolment drive (Outlook, 2026).
- Pending: the ECI's answer to the court on Form 6.
Questions people are asking
Is my name deleted from the Bengaluru voter list after SIR?
Bengaluru lost about 43 lakh names in the final roll of 27 October 2026 (Sabrang India, 2026). Check your constituency's roll on the Karnataka CEO website.
How do I get my name back on the Karnataka voter list?
Apply on Form 6; forms received after 23 September go into quarterly supplementary lists (Outlook, 2026).
Can I appeal a deletion in the final roll?
Not known yet: no report we read sets out an appeal route.
Which Bengaluru constituency lost the most voters?
Bengaluru South, with 3.63 lakh deletions, according to search summaries of a National Herald report we could not open.
Why is the Supreme Court questioning Form 6 for deleted voters?
Form 6 is for first-time voters; on 28 October the court asked the ECI why deleted Delhi voters must use it (Deccan Herald, 2026).
References
- Sabrang India (2026) Karnataka's final SIR roll delete electorate by nearly 1 crore; Bengaluru loses over 43 lakh names. Sabrang India. Available at: Karnataka's final SIR roll delete electorate by nearly 1 crore (Accessed: 28 October 2026).
- Outlook (2026) Karnataka SIR: What The Final Electoral Roll Reveals About Nearly 1 Cr Voter Deletions. Outlook India. Available at: Karnataka SIR: what the final electoral roll reveals (Accessed: 28 October 2026).
- National Herald (2026) Bengaluru voter roll shrinks 43% after SIR, electorate falls to 59 lakh. National Herald. Available at: Bengaluru voter roll shrinks 43% after SIR (Accessed: 28 October 2026).
- Deccan Herald (2026) Supreme Court questions EC on asking deleted Delhi voters to file Form 6 in SIR process. Deccan Herald. Available at: Supreme Court questions EC on Form 6 (Accessed: 28 October 2026).
- India Today (2026) Karnataka's final voter list out, nearly 1 crore names deleted after SIR. India Today. Available at: Karnataka's final voter list out (Accessed: 28 October 2026).
How we did this
On 28 October 2026 we read Sabrang India and Outlook India in full on Karnataka's final roll, and Deccan Herald on the Supreme Court hearing, and set their figures for deletions, Form 6 and Form 7 side by side, using our coverage page for this story. Constituency figures come from search summaries of a National Herald report we could not open; for India Today we read only the headline. Where the reports disagree, on Form 7 applications and on names restored, we give both. We looked for a published appeal route for final-roll deletions and found none. The hero is our flow chart of the route back onto the roll as reported.
This story was produced, reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication, with AI assistance where required.
Covered by 25 outlets across the spectrum: 48% left, 32% center, 16% right.
Who is covering this story
- Left-leaning (6): The Hindu, Indian Express, LatestLY, The New Indian Express, Outlook India, Sabrang India
- Center (4): ABP Live English, DNA India, Hindustan Times, Deccan Herald
- Right-leaning (3): Times of India, India Today, Deccan Chronicle
- Not yet rated (1): National Herald
Sources
- SIR: Over 99.32 lakh names struck off voter list in Karnataka — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- SIR final list for Karnataka is out: Check your name — Times of India (right-leaning) ·
- Karnataka Final Electoral Roll Out After SIR, Nearly 1 Crore Voters Deleted — ABP Live English (center) ·
- Karnataka SIR deletions: In final rolls, voters shrink by nearly 1 crore — Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- Karnataka Final Voter List Out: 4.55 Cr Names, Over 1.88 Lakh Deleted — India Today (right-leaning) ·
- Karnataka SIR: 1 crore names deleted from electoral rolls of ECI — DNA India (center) ·
- India News | Karnataka SIR: Final Electoral Roll Records 4.55 Crore Voters, Net Count Falls by 99.32 Lakh — LatestLY (left-leaning) ·
- 'Apply through Form 6, name will be added': Karnataka CEO assures voters after 1 crore deleted in final electoral roll — Hindustan Times (center) ·
- Electors In Karnataka Down By 99.32 Lakh After SIR Exercise — Deccan Chronicle (right-leaning) ·
- Mysuru district loses 5.19 lakh voters after SIR — Deccan Herald (center) ·
- Nearly one in two voters deleted from Bengaluru rolls after SIR — Deccan Herald (center) ·
- 716 foreign nationals removed from voters' list in Karnataka — The New Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- Karnataka’s final electoral roll published after SIR — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Karnataka Final Voter List Out: Over 99.7 Lakh Names Removed — The New Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- Karnataka's final voter list out, over 1 crore names deleted after SIR — India Today (right-leaning) ·
- Bengaluru voter roll shrinks 43% after SIR, electorate falls to 59 lakh — National Herald (not yet rated) ·
- Supreme Court questions EC on asking deleted Delhi voters to file Form 6 in SIR process — Deccan Herald (center) ·
- Karnataka SIR: What The Final Electoral Roll Reveals About Nearly 1 Cr Voter Deletions | Outlook India — Outlook India (left-leaning) ·
- Karnataka’s final SIR roll delete electorate by nearly 1 crore; Bengaluru loses over 43 lakh names | SabrangIndia — Sabrang India (left-leaning, AI-estimated) ·
- Karnataka SIR: 64.5 lakh voters potentially missing in rolls, majority of them young — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Post SIR, special drive to check data of deleted voters in Karnataka — The New Indian Express (left-leaning) ·
- SIR Detects Only 1,600 Foreigners Across States Compared With Crores Of Voter Deletions — ABP Live English (center) ·
- India News | “10 Crore Went Through SIR to Find 1,600 ‘foreigners’”: Jairam Ramesh Accuses Shah of 'lying', Seeks CEC’s Removal — LatestLY (left-leaning) ·
- Gadag district has 7.94 lakh voters after SIR — The Hindu (left-leaning) ·
- Bengaluru's low voter turnout may be a thing of the past after SIR — Deccan Herald (center) ·