Belagavi district has the highest number of voters and tops the list in Karnataka
Mysuru: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has identified nearly four lakh voters aged above 85 years across Karnataka , with five southern districts accounting for about 17% of the total. Belagavi district, which has 18 assembly constituencies, has the highest number of voters aged 85 years and tops the list in Karnataka. Mysuru is second with 25,165 such voters, followed closely by Tumakuru with 24,665, placing these three districts in the top three in terms of senior citizen voter concentration. Mandya has 16,263 voters in the 85+ category, while Hassan has 15,923 in fourth and fifth places. To ensure greater inclusion, the ECI introduced home voting for the first time in a Lok Sabha election in 2024, extending the facility to voters above 85 years of age and persons with disabilities (PwDs) with 40% benchmark disability.
The option is meant for those who face difficulties in visiting a polling station. The eligible voters must inform polling officials in advance to avail themselves of home voting. Karnataka has a substantial number of elderly voters
Karnataka, which has 224 assembly constituencies, has 33,92,134 voters as per ECI data. ECI’s arrangements for home voting add an additional layer of coordination for election officials, particularly in districts with a higher concentration of 85+ voters. Dakshina Kannada and Kalaburagi have more than 14,000 voters each in this age group. Bengaluru Urban has around 13,007, while Dharwad has 10,117 and Bengaluru South has 10,443. Among the smaller districts in this category, Chamarajanagar has 7,943 elderly voters and Kodagu has 4,044.
Alongside the large overall electorate, the state has a substantial number of elderly voters, requiring targeted planning at the booth level.