Local polls: Karnataka govt. finds himself in a Head 22 situation above the electoral roll

The Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj has announced the reservation matrix for ZP and TP and hopes that the SEC will announce the polls in January.

Amid preparations for the zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats elections due soon, the state government is in a ‘Catch 22’ situation regarding the electoral rolls to be used in these elections. Although the State Election Commission (SEC) will decide on the lists, the decision will also depend on the opinion of the state government, which would be political in nature and could potentially lead to a political flop.

The Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj has announced the reservation matrix for ZP and TP and hopes that the SEC will announce the polls in January. The state government has to take a policy decision on whether to accede to the Election Commission of India’s electoral roll after the Special Intensive Review (SIR) or not. The Hiriyur by-election, prompted by the death of former minister D Sudhakar, would be the first election in the state after the completion of the SIR exercise.

Dilemma

While the ECI has released the final voter lists in the state after the SIR has been conducted and nearly one million voter names have been deleted, the state government is unsure about the use of the post-SIR lists. “The argument in the government is that the INDIA bloc is against the SIR lists and is seeking its abolition. A Congress-ruled state opting for post-SIR lists in local body elections could be embarrassing. The Congress high command may not like the idea either,” a senior minister said after the matter was discussed extensively in the state cabinet on Thursday.

On the other hand, the minister said the credibility of the Congress victory could suffer if the opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) stepped up their campaign on the sanctity of electoral rolls. “One million names have been deleted from the old lists. If the same lists are used for the elections, it could be embarrassing. A move of the court by the opposition cannot be ruled out either.”

Cabinet discussion

Meanwhile, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar Khandre acknowledged during a post-cabinet briefing on Thursday that there was a detailed discussion on SIR and that ministers had expressed their views but no decision was taken. “There is still confusion over whether post-SIR entries should be considered or not. Although the State Election Commission will decide on it, it will seek our opinion. We will provide our comments after that.” He also said that the state government has released funds to the SEC for the purchase of ballot boxes.

Published – 5 Nov 2026 22:18 IST