Karnataka began the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of its electoral rolls on Tuesday, with chief minister DK. Shivakumar submitting his enumeration form while urging residents across the state to participate in the exercise.Chief minister DK Shivakumar participates in the house-to-house enumeration under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, at his Sadashivanagar residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday. (ANI)The state government also announced measures to help eligible voters complete the process, even as the state Congress unit reiterated questions raised across the country over the Election Commission’s conduct of the exercise.Shivakumar completed the form at his Sadashivanagar residence along with his wife, Usha Shivakumar. Bengaluru (south) deputy commissioner Yeshwanth Gurukar and district election officials were present.Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar urged voters to verify and update their electoral records. He said electors would need to provide the mobile number already linked to their voter registration, while those wishing to change the number could do so through election officials before receiving a one-time password on the updated number.Chief electoral officer K Kumar said the objective was to ensure that every eligible elector participated in the revision and that the electoral rolls remained accurate. Booth level officers (BLOs) would only distribute and collect enumeration forms during the month long exercise and would not collect documentary proof, he added. The forms would be printed in Kannada, but voters could complete them in either Kannada or English.Kumar said Karnataka has 5,54,32,314 electors. BLOs will visit every household within their assigned polling areas and distribute two sets of forms to electors whose names appeared in the electoral rolls as of June 16, 2026.Shivakumar said the exercise also gave voters an opportunity to correct their names and update photographs in the electoral rolls. Booth level agents, BLOs and supervisory officials had created WhatsApp groups to assist people during the process, he said.“One member can fill up and submit the forms for the entire family and they will be accepted,” added the chief ministerThe state government had made arrangements to issue permanent residence certificates and other required documents so that eligible citizens would not face inconvenience during verification, he said, stressing that proof of residence was mandatory for first time voters.“Everyone should safeguard their voting rights. If they fail to do so, they may find it difficult to access government schemes and services in future,” said the chief minister.Responding to concerns that those unfamiliar with smartphones could struggle with the ECINet app, the CM said he had also taken helped while completing the online process. “Those who are not comfortable with the online process can obtain the form from the Booth Level Officer and complete it offline.”“Our guarantees are meant for the people of Karnataka. Why should benefits meant for Karnataka be extended to voters from other states?,” he said.State home minister Priyank Kharge, while stating that the Congress supported an accurate electoral roll, questioned the Election Commission’s response to concerns raised by the party. He said the Congress had submitted 12 questions on the exercise but had received no reply.“Let the ECI point out which of our 12 questions is illogical, unconstitutional or illegal. We are ready. Do they alone know the law? Do they alone know the Constitution? If we have doubts, should we not ask the Election Commission? What are we supposed to do, submit our letters at the BJP office? We have approached the authority that is responsible. It is for them to respond,” Kharge said.He said the party was not opposed to the revision but wanted all eligible voters to be included. Referring to similar exercises in other states, he said confusion was created among citizens and urged ECI to ensure that such concerns did not arise in Karnataka.Kharge also called for an independent review of the exercise, sought a three month extension for submitting forms, and said no voter should be removed without prior notice, field verification, an opportunity to be heard and a reasoned order.The BJP, in response, accused the Congress government of obstructing efforts to remove the names of deceased voters, eliminate duplicate entries and identify illegal immigrants in the electoral rolls. “The purpose of SIR is to ensure that only genuine voters remain in the electoral rolls. But this process looks suspicious as in Jayanagar, non-officials and Congress leaders have been appointed as BLOs in 20 places. In Chamarajpet, BLOs are showing photos of Zameer Ahmed Khan, Congress MLA, during their visits to voters’ houses, though they are not supposed to display any party symbols,” said Leader of Opposition in the state assembly R Ashoka.House to house enumeration will continue until July 29. Draft electoral rolls will be published on August 5, claims and objections may be filed until September 4, and the final electoral rolls will be notified on October 7 after disposal of objections.(with PTI inputs)