Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday said that voters in Bengaluru are unable to verify their names in the revised electoral roll through the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) portal using their name or EPIC number.
In a post on X, he alleged that the current system forces voters to manually scroll through ward-wise lists without clarity on their ward following the recent delimitation.
“Bengaluru voters can't verify their votes in the revised electoral roll by name or EPIC number on the GBA portal. They're expected to scroll ward-by-ward, without even knowing which new ward they fall under after delimitation. This isn't an oversight. It's a deliberate disenfranchisement by design. As India's tech capital, we deserve better, @GBAChiefComm,” wrote Surya in the post.
ALSO READ: Bengaluru's LPG Shortage Spurs Demand For Ashok Urs' Low-Fuel 'Rocket Stove'
Following his remarks, several users reacted online and shared their views regarding the issue.
One user said that verifying voter details had become difficult on the portal. “This is true. As a voter myself I had to struggle to find my name. After a brief period of releasing the list, the feature of searching by name/Epic number was active, but has gone again. India's tech capital MUST have its civic elections go smooth tech wise.”
Another user claimed that the draft electoral roll may have been prepared using older data. “And they have published draft on 2023 data. Not based on previous Loksabha Election Roll!! Please look into it!!,” the user wrote.
Another comment suggested that the system could be improved by adding a digital search feature. “As India's tech capital, Bengaluru should lead in digital governance. Why not enable a simple search by EPIC/Aadhaar + ward auto-detection on the portal? It would make voter verification transparent and citizen-friendly,” the user said.
One more user suggested that the data could be made searchable using digital tools. “@Tejasvi_Surya your team can download PDF convert into data, put it in a database and make it searchable. with AI tools this is less than a days job for South Bangalore lokasabha. Do it for the public and make it useful, show how incompetent they are,” the user wrote.
Bengaluru last held civic body elections in 2015. The Supreme Court has directed the state government to conduct the elections before June 30, and the State Election Commission has begun preparatory work.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.