Bengaluru: The 115-day Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral lists in Karnataka is set to end on Oct 22, with the final list expected to be published on Oct 27. Citizens who applied through Form 6 have started receiving EPIC numbers by SMS, even as the form itself remains contentious.Many citizens have been wary of Form 6 because it is called an application for ‘new voters’, and its declaration warns that a false statement is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, with up to one year’s imprisonment, a fine, or both. However, Election Commission’s Oct 1 letter to all CEOs, encouraging Form 6 for enrolling left-out voters after SIR, has restored confidence, voters said.Applicants who filed Form 6 outside the claims-and-objections window (Aug 24 to Sep 23) are also receiving EPIC numbers, and some have made it to the final rolls without submitting the declaration linking them to the 2002 rolls.A city voter who applied on July 7 said his name appeared on the draft list, though EPIC number arrived by SMS only this month. His application did not ask for 2002 details.A Parappana Agrahara resident applied for her mother on July 21, before the claims-and-objections period. The message to process the form, with the BLO’s details, came only after the draft rolls were published.The EPIC number arrived on Oct 18. “Our case was a bit complex. We were in Delhi earlier, and the BLO there said my mother’s name would be deleted as she no longer lived there. The BLO in Bengaluru suggested Form 6, and it was processed. “There was no assurance we would be on the final rolls,” she said.Processing appears to have lagged until the claims-and-objections phase and accelerated afterwards.BS Venkatesh of CV Raman Nagar said the BLO filed Form 6 for his mother Bhagyamma, a 2002 elector, on Oct 8, and the EPIC confirmation came by Oct 14. Documents included self-attested proof of age and address (PAN and Aadhaar were used).The post-SIR form also asked for mapping details: A family member at the current address who is on the roll, along with their EPIC number, in addition to the names of the applicant’s father, mother and spouse. The form, however, still describes the applicant as seeking inclusion for the first time.
