ADULTS ONLY

Karnataka is gradually becoming an adult-dominated state, with people below 18 years of age gradually on the decline, when compared with the young voting population and number of senior citizens.

- BOSKY KHANNA @Bengaluru

The Elector-Population Ratio (EPR) from the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, showed the state's ratio as of January 2025 as 70.61. This is higher than the national average of 65.

But there are variations within the state. Some districts have a higher EPR. The ratio in Chikkamagaluru district is 85.84, followed by Kodagu with 84.25. Other districts more or less toe the state average line.

"The EPR shows the number of electors in the state. The idea of preparing it regularly is to know if all the people above 18 years of age (voting age) are included in the rolls or not. The present EPR data shows the number of electors in the state is high, the elderly and people above 18 years are more than the young and newborn. However, this does not give the accurate population as the base for calculation (actual population of the state) is not accurately available in the absence of the latest census report," explained Manoj Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka.

Assembly constituency data from the department showed that Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district has been recording the highest EPR of 90.98% in the state since 2021. It dropped to 88.30 in 2023 and then rose to 97.94 in 2025. A rise has also been noted in Chikkamagaluru -- in 2021, the EPR was 84.15, which increased to 89.15 in 2025.

There has been a drastic jump in Virajpet assembly constituency in Kodagu, where the EPR of 78.58 in 2021 increased to 82.73 in 2025. A similar pattern can be seen in Udupi's Karkala constituency -- from 80.91 in 2021 to 82.60 in 2025.

Taking note of this, the Election Commission of India has sought an explanation from Karnataka on the high EPR in specific locations—Chamundeshwari, Chikkamagaluru and Nagamangala. EC officials also noted that these figures raised concerns on the seemingly low share of the under-18 population.