SIR: 100% notices generated, but names still withheld from public domain

Booth Level Officers issuing notices to residents of R.T. Nagar as part of the Special Intensive Revision in Bengaluru on Friday. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J. While Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Anbu Kumar said that nobody, including him, would know who is getting a notice until it is generated, data from the CEO’s office shows that 100% of the notices had been generated as of Friday, suggesting that all names are with the authorities now.With hearings having begun at the district level from Thursday and set to begin in Bengaluru on Saturday, voters, however, still do not know whether their names have been flagged for an anomaly or logical discrepancy, or whether their 2002 electoral roll details could not be mapped – situations that would result in a notice being issued.Unlike in Delhi, where the process is comparatively flexible, the notice period is challenging for voters in Karnataka because of the tight timeline and slot-based hearing process, with notices specifying a date and time for the hearing. In Delhi, notices do not assign voters a specific hearing slot and allow them to appear any time before the stipulated deadline. For example, before September 8 till 11 a.m., Karnataka’s system, however, gives voters a much narrower and rigid window.Civil society groups and political parties have sought the publication of the list, saying people could otherwise miss their hearings. The CEO’s office said that following requests from political parties, it would soon share the lists with recognised parties. However, it has not yet decided whether the lists will also be made available in the public domain.Moreover, the process, scheduled to start from August 24, has already been delayed by nine days. Yet, the CEO’s office has now said all hearings must be completed by October 12 – 10 days before the official deadline. This leaves less than 40 days for hearings, despite nearly 60 days being provided under the official schedule.For voters who are working in Bengaluru but belong to other districts, or those who are away from the city for various reasons, the short notice could make it difficult and in some cases, impossible to appear for the hearing. A similar concern was raised earlier when voters did not know whether their names figured in the Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, Dead and Others (ASDDO) list.Several voters told The Hindu that they were calling their Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to find out whether they were on the notice list. The BLOs, however, said they were receiving notices in batches for distribution and marking, leaving them too unaware of the complete list until the notices reached them.Many voters have also said that the process would have been easier if those issued notices had been informed through SMS. During his last media interaction, Mr. Kumar said that DEOs or Deputy Commissioners could adopt methods to communicate with voters if they wished to. However, no such measures have been taken by the officials so far to ease the process for voters. Published - September 04, 2026 09:41 pm IST