Election Commission Error Lists Living 61-Year-Old Mangaluru Resident as Deceased in Draft Voters List

A major discrepancy in the voter verification process emerged in Mangaluru during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 of electoral rolls in Karnataka. Donald Joseph Rego, a 61-year-old resident of Bejai in the Mangaluru City South Assembly constituency, discovered that his name had been deleted from the draft voters' list published on August 24. Further inquiries revealed that election officials had classified him under the 'Dead' category within the Absent, Shifted, Duplicate, and Dead (ASDDO) records. Following public concern and a formal complaint from Rego, the Dakshina Kannada district administration investigated the matter. The inquiry revealed that when Rego submitted his voter enumeration form to the assigned Booth Level Officer (BLO), he attached his deceased father's death certificate as supporting family documentation. During digitisation, the BLO mistakenly interpreted the death certificate as belonging to Rego himself and updated the system accordingly, marking the living resident as deceased. Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr. H. V. Darshan directed administrative officials to issue a formal clarification and seek an explanation from the concerned BLO for negligence. Election authorities confirmed that corrective steps under Form 6 have been initiated to ensure Rego's name is properly restored in the final electoral rolls.