Belagavi: Karnataka ’s largest electorate has undergone a major reshuffle following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with Belagavi district’s voter strength dropping from around 41 lakh to 36,35,860 electors across its 18 assembly constituencies.
The final electoral roll comprises 18,25,531 male voters, 18,10,170 female voters and 159 third-gender voters. Male voters outnumber female voters by 15,361. Of the district’s 18 constituencies, 11 have more male voters, while seven have a higher number of female voters. During the revision exercise, 42,299 new voters were added, while 4,71,140 names were deleted, resulting in the sharp reduction in voter strength. Belagavi Rural has emerged as the district’s largest constituency with 2,38,422 voters, followed by Arabhavi (2,30,159), Athani (2,24,889) and Gokak (2,23,344). Kudachi has the lowest electorate at 1,76,214 voters. Other constituencies include Nippani (2,13,819), Chikodi-Sadalaga (2,14,597), Ramdurg (2,14,597), Raibag (1,96,547), Belagavi North (1,98,593) and Belagavi South (1,98,283). Belagavi North topped the list with 58,085 voter names removed, followed by Belagavi South with 54,654 deletions. Across the district, constituency-wise deletions ranged from around 15,000 to over 58,000 voters.
The highest deletions were reported from the twin-city constituencies.
Election Commission officials said the deleted names included duplicate voters enrolled in more than one constituency, deceased persons, permanent migrants and those who failed to respond to verification notices. Deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan said eligible voters whose names are missing can still apply for inclusion by submitting the necessary documents. Chikodi-Sadalaga, Gokak, Nippani, Yamakanamaradi, Hukkeri, Belagavi North and Belagavi South are among the constituencies with a higher number of women voters.