Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar has urged residents to ensure that their names remain on the electoral rolls as the state begins a large-scale revision of voter lists.

The Election Commission on Tuesday launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise across Karnataka, with booth-level officials set to conduct house-to-house visits until July 29 as part of the verification process.

Addressing concerns over the exercise, Shivakumar stressed the importance of retaining voting rights and warned that people who lose their eligibility as voters could also risk losing access to government welfare benefits.

“The right to vote is the right to live,” the Chief Minister said, adding that some states have already begun verifying welfare beneficiaries through similar exercises.

In a move aimed at helping residents complete the revision process, the Karnataka government has announced the issuance of permanent residential certificates. According to state authorities, these certificates can be obtained both online through the Seva Sindhu portal and offline at designated citizen service centres across the state.

State election officials said the revision exercise will cover more than 5.5 crore electors. Over 59,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), along with thousands of supervisors and electoral officials, have been deployed for the drive. Political parties have also appointed more than 1.1 lakh Booth Level Agents to assist in the process.

Officials clarified that BLOs will distribute enumeration forms to voters whose names were included in the electoral roll as of June 16, 2026. No documents will be collected during the initial enumeration phase, and officials have appealed to citizens to cooperate by receiving, filling and returning the forms.

The Election Commission has said the draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, after which claims and objections can be submitted until September 4. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be released on October 7.

A sudden rise in glacier meltwater triggered a flash flood-like situation in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti district, damaging a key road and leaving more than 50 tourist vehicles stranded, officials said.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at Jhalma Nallah, where a sudden surge in water flow washed away a portion of the road connecting the remote region. Authorities said no rainfall had been reported in the area, indicating that the sudden increase in glacier meltwater was responsible for the incident.

According to Lahaul-Spiti Superintendent of Police Shivani Mehla, more than 50 tourist vehicles were stranded after the swollen nallah damaged the road stretch. However, no casualties or injuries have been reported so far.

Restoration work underway

Officials said restoration work on the affected stretch was immediately taken up, with teams working to restore connectivity and facilitate the safe evacuation of stranded tourists.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), along with the local administration, has launched emergency repair operations and expressed confidence that the road link would be restored at the earliest. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.

The flash flood-like event temporarily disrupted traffic movement and cut off road access in the area. Similar weather-related disruptions have affected parts of Himachal Pradesh in recent days, with flash floods and heavy rainfall impacting road connectivity in several districts.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was on Monday formally reappointed as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha after taking oath as a member of the Upper House following his re-election.

Kharge’s previous term as a Rajya Sabha member ended on June 25. Following his re-election to the Upper House from Karnataka, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan accorded recognition to him as the Leader of Opposition with effect from June 26.

The Congress veteran took oath as a Rajya Sabha member in the Chairman’s chamber on Monday. The oath ceremony marked the beginning of his fresh term in the Upper House.

Recognition effective from June 26

According to a bulletin issued by Rajya Sabha Secretary-General P C Mody, Kharge ceased to hold the office of Leader of Opposition after the expiry of his earlier Rajya Sabha term on June 25. Following his re-election, he was once again recognised as the Leader of Opposition under the provisions of the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.

Kharge had earlier been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka during the recent biennial elections to the Upper House.