Special SIR campaign: Many polling stations in Bengaluru locked, BLOs absent

Several schools that were the venue for special Special Intensive Revision campaigns were locked, in Bengaluru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The Government Primary Model School in Malleswaram was locked, with iron chains tied over it. This school, like other schools in Shivajinagar and in Hebbal Kempapura, was the venue for the Election Commission of India’s ambitious voter campaigns that were supposed to help voters with form-6 and other queries related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).A visit to several schools across different constituencies revealed the same situation – all polling stations designated for the special camps were locked on Sunday, the second day of the campaign. While the Government Tamil Model Primary School in J.C. Nagar was open, it was for the neighbouring children who were using the playground for football. Jain Heritage School in Kempapura, Government Model Urdu School in Shivajinagar, besides other few schools visited in Shivajinagar, Hebbal and Byatarayanapura remained shut.Moreover, while a few government schools were open, as in the case of the Government Primary School in Shivajinagar constituency, which houses polling stations 181 to 185, and another school in J.C. Nagar, the draft list which Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had assured would be pasted at polling stations and gram panchayat offices was nowhere to be seen, similar to how Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were not seen at any of these polling stations. Several schools in Bengaluru listed as venues for special Special Intensive Revision campaigns were locked, on August 30, 2026. As per an ECI notification, BLOs were supposed to be present at polling stations, help voters find their names in the draft roll, collect claims and objections, digitise these forms and submit a report in the evening for this work. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The CEO had assured that these lists would be made available in public. The CEO website, which published the draft lists on August 24, continues to make errors, with multiple people whom The Hindu spoke to confirming that they have not been able to find their names. Even among the names that have been published, most voters have found their initials missing, while some have seen particulars missing from their addresses. For all these changes, people were advised to fill form-8. Understanding this need, the special campaign, which was supposed to help voters with these issues, was announced. At many places, it did not happen to begin with.As per the ECI notification, the BLOs were supposed to be present at polling stations, help voters find their names in the draft roll, collect claims and objections, digitise these forms and submit a report in the evening for this work. Unlike districts like Shivamogga, where officials carried out a bike rally to create awareness and invite first-time voters to apply, the special campaign was publicised nowhere in Bengaluru and, in fact, was announced a day before on August 28 for a campaign on August 29 and 30, with the BLOs arguing that there was no time for an awareness programme in between.Neighbours surrounding these polling stations, as well as Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties, said they were not aware that such campaigns had been announced, while some BLAs said they have already made “all corrections” pertaining to their booths.A few BLAs from both BJP and Congress said they were unaware of such an arrangement, while the BLOs said they were told to visit for some time, ensure that they took a picture as proof that they were present, and address remaining complaints over the phone, as enumeration forms had the BLOs’ numbers. Even during the enumeration phase when the CEO announced fecilitation centres, the same failure was evident as many centres were listed on the CEO website but remained empty when visited.As a response, the CEO shared pictures of camps in places where they were held in areas including Yelahanka, Singapura, and J.P. Nagar. Published - August 30, 2026 07:28 pm IST