Karwar: Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner K. Lakshmipriya said that the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 of electoral rolls would help prepare an accurate and error-free voter list by correcting discrepancies in the existing rolls.

Speaking at an interaction programme with college students organised by the District Administration, Zilla Panchayat and the District SVEEP Committee at the Zilla Panchayat Hall in Karwar, she said the Election Commission of India has been conducting free and fair elections since its establishment under the Constitution in 1950.

Explaining the objective of the Special Intensive Revision, the Deputy Commissioner said the exercise aims to cleanse the electoral rolls by removing duplicate entries, names of deceased voters and those who have permanently shifted elsewhere, while enrolling all eligible new voters.

She said every Indian citizen aged 18 years or above, who is not disqualified by law, is eligible to be enrolled as a voter. Urging young people to actively participate in the electoral process, she appealed to students to ensure their names are included in the electoral roll and to exercise their franchise during elections.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dilish Shashi encouraged students to remain curious and well-informed, and urged them to spread awareness about the SIR process among the public. He said educating the next generation about the electoral process is a shared responsibility.

During the interactive session, students from Government Arts and Science College and Government First Grade Women's College, Karwar, raised several questions regarding action against electoral bribery, the reach of the SIR process in remote forest-fringe areas, shifting voter registration to a more convenient polling station, correction of errors in electoral rolls, documents required along with enumeration forms, the responsibilities of election officials and the reliability of information circulated on social media.

The Deputy Commissioner and the Zilla Panchayat CEO responded to the students' queries and clarified various doubts related to the electoral revision process.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Sajid Mulla, Zilla Panchayat Deputy Secretary Prakash Halammanavar, Chief Planning Officer Somashekhar Mesta, Resource Person Dinesh Shet, faculty members and students from the participating colleges were among those present.