Election Commission of India (ECI) data could be bringing out a stark reality on the issues of declining births and migration to urban areas in Karnataka. The electoral list available for the State is showing that some districts are reporting a sharp decline in the birth rate, or migration which has been reflected in the elector-population (EP) ratio.The assessment of the birth rate came after the Election Commission found the EP ratio in several districts far higher than the State or the national average. While the current State ratio is 70.16, the national is 66.76 (February 2024).The EP ratio is the total number of registered voters against the projected population since the 2011 Census.The trend has continued after the EP ratio was initially noticed during the final electoral rolls ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. The latest publication of the final electoral rolls was in January 2025.Chikkamagaluru where the EP ratio was found to be the highest in the State with 85.84 was a case example for the Election Commission, which after a study found that the birth rate in the Malnad district was far too low.“Chikkamagaluru district has fewer number of people below the age of 18,” Election Commission sources said.The data available on the ground for the electoral list was juxtaposed with other available data from the PDS database (ration card), the National Sample Survey, and the National Family Health Survey to see if there was any data mismatch or an anomaly. “It was realised that in Chikkamagaluru, the population growth had come down owing to fewer births. The number of newborns is low, which could mean negative population growth,” sources said.The final electoral rolls of 2025 showed that Chikkamagaluru district had 9.73 lakh voters, including 4.95 lakh female voters. The district has four Assembly constituencies - Chikkamagaluru, Mudigere, Tarikere, and Sringeri. Incidentally, Sringeri is the smallest Assembly constituency in terms of voters in the State with 1.68 lakh.Across Karnataka, of the nearly 5.5 crore voters, 2.75 crore were males and 2.76 crore females, besides 5,095 belonging to the third gender.The ‘abnormal’ EP ratio is not restricted to Chikkamagaluru district alone. These include Kodagu (84.25) and Udupi (83.07). The Vokkaliga heartland districts of Mandya (83.72), Hassan (82.82), Bengaluru South (formerly Ramanagara) (82.75), and Tumakuru (81.78) have a high EP ratio too.The Vokkaliga-dominated districts also report a high level of migration owing to their proximity to Bengaluru where employment opportunities are high. “This means that these districts have mostly an adult population with fewer kids. A picture on these will emerge with the General Census data,” sources said.In some instances, a higher EP ratio may also reflect a good work in registration of voters, a politically-aware population, and also migration.Gender gap in younger electorsAnother feature found during the electoral rolls revision was that though the overall gender ratio for Karnataka was 1,003 [more female voters], the gender ratio among the young electors [18-19 years] was 892. However, the gender ratio that was 819 in the 2024 draft rolls has increased to 892 in the 2025 final rolls.The ECI officials who studied the gender ratio in the zero to five years category found that the birth rate had a gap, which could also show a bias against girls. This was seen in some districts such as Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts, sources said. There could be lesser number of young women registered in the electoral too, sources said.Chamundeshwari constituency has highest EP ratioChamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru district has the highest elector-population (EP) ratio among the Assembly constituencies in the State. The ratio in Chamundeshwari has been pegged at 97.94 followed by the neighbouring Narasimharaja constituency at 88.06. The high EP ratio in urban constituencies has flummoxed the commission officials too, since other constituencies in the district are closer to the State average. Across Karnataka, 15 constituencies have a EP ratio higher than 85, while 24 constituencies have a EP ratio between 80 and 85.Bengaluru has the lowest EP ratioThe BTM Layout Assembly constituency has the lowest elector-population ratio in the State for any Assembly constituency at 46.31, followed by Rajajinagar constituency at 47.28, C.V. Raman Nagar at 48.62, Mahalakshmi Layout at 48.99, and Gandhinagar at 49.07.Overall, BBMP central has a EP ratio of 52.94, BBMP North has 54.93, and BBMP South has 51.78. Traditionally, the constituencies in the BBMP limits are also those that record poor voter turnout when compared to turnout across the State.Published - June 17, 2025 12:51 am IST