SIR: Karnataka races to issue PRCs, but no clarity on whether document will pass muster
Karnataka's PRC issuance raises concerns as clarity on document acceptance for voter eligibility remains uncertain ahead of the enumeration deadline.
Acknowledging that many voters do not have even one of the 11 documents in the ECI list, the State government had launched a drive to deliver PRCs as well as caste certificates at the doorstep
Updated - August 15, 2026 08:51 pm IST - Bengaluru
Karnataka CEO V. Anbu Kumar said that he would provide clarity over PRCs “later”. | Photo Credit: File photo
With the enumeration phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) set to end on Monday (August 17), the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) is yet to indicate whether the Permanent Residential Certificate (PRC) that the Election Commission of India itself lists as an indicative document will actually be accepted in the State.
Clarity on this issue is particularly important for voters who would be flagged for logical discrepancies in their enumeration forms and the over 28 lakh unmapped voters who could not find their or their families’ details in the 2002 base roll. Following the release of the draft electoral roll, these voters will be asked to submit one of the 11 documents.
Acknowledging that many voters do not even have one of the 11 documents as per ECI list, the State government had launched a drive to deliver PRCs as well as caste certificates at their doorstep. Yet, as the enumeration deadline approaches, the election machinery has still not made clear whether those certificates will pass muster.
Karnataka CEO V. Anbu Kumar said that he would provide clarity over PRCs “later”. When pointed out that PRC is one of the valid documents mentioned in the ECI’s list of accepted “indicative” documents, the CEO said he “cannot comment on individual document case”.
The CEO’s responsesuggests that PRCs could perhaps be scrutinised individually. Even previously, State election officials, including the CEO, had refused to categorically state how PRCs would be treated in Karnataka.
It is to be noted that during the SIR in West Bengal, the ECI, after political intervention, finally agreed to accept PRCs that strictly conformed to specific State government orders — the 1999 framework — and underwent independent verification by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), instead of treating all PRCs alike.
Similar to how the Karnataka government directed officials to issue PRCs, the Telangana government had also ordered officials to issue Family Register Certificates (FRCs). Recently, however, the Telangana CEO rejected those documents. The FRC is different from the Family Member Certificate (FMC) issued by the State, said the ECI, because it was based on information that had been digitally extracted from ration card data.
The Telangana government order issued on July 25, in the midst of the SIR process there, said it had been decided to launch the FRC with a view of facilitating the delivery of services, ensuring uniformity in the verification of family particulars, and providing a readily accessible record.
While the Telangana government has said it will represent to the EC to reconsider its rejection of FRCs, pointing out that it could deprive a large section of people of their voting rights and put their names at risk of deletion from the SIR, the Congress government in Karnataka has so far been silent on the issue.
Speaking to The Hindu, Booth Level Agents (BLAs) as well as senior Congress members involved in the vigilance teams maintained that they would ensure every eligible person gets a PRC, leaving no clarity over what happens if the Election Commission ultimately decides to subject those very certificates to conditions and verification, as it did in West Bengal.
Published - August 15, 2026 08:50 pm IST
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