Mangaluru: Amid concerns among voters in several parts of the country over notices and possible deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a polling booth in Ullal in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district has completed the exercise without issuing a single notice to any voter.
The achievement was recorded at Booth No. 7 of Senerebailu-1 in Ward No. 3 of Ullal City Municipality, under the Mangaluru Assembly constituency. The booth, located at the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School, recorded zero cases of mapping-related discrepancies as well as zero logical discrepancies during the revision.
According to reports, none of the 782 voters attached to the booth was issued a notice for a hearing, and no eligible voter’s name was removed from the electoral roll. The voter list at the booth comprises 398 men and 384 women, with voters from Kodi, Dotta and surrounding areas.
The booth’s performance has been particularly noted because the SIR exercise in several areas has involved voters being asked to respond to notices over discrepancies in electoral records or mapping. In contrast, officials handling Booth No. 7 reported no such cases during the verification process.
The role of Booth Level Officer (BLO) Amrutha Rahul Karkera has also been highlighted. Karkera, an anganwadi teacher working near Ullal Kodi Mosque, reportedly visited voters at their homes and explained the SIR process, including the information required, filling up forms and submission of supporting documents. This helped voters complete the verification process and resolve issues, where necessary.
The polling station originally had 1,447 voters. Since the number exceeded the prescribed limit for a single booth, the polling station was subsequently divided. 514 voters were assigned to Booth No. 6, while 782 voters came under Booth No. 7 for the electoral-roll revision.
As part of the door-to-door verification, voters who had died or shifted to other locations were identified. Their details were subsequently processed to help clean and update the electoral roll in a systematic manner.
The successful completion of the exercise without a single notice has been welcomed by voters, who felicitated BLO Amrutha Rahul in appreciation of her work. The episode stands out as an example of how intensive field-level verification and direct assistance to voters can help resolve discrepancies before they result in notices or disputes.
Local reports have described the Booth No. 7 exercise as an example of 100% accuracy in SIR mapping, with the absence of both “no mapping” and “logical discrepancy” cases.