Bengaluru: Officials from electricity supply companies on Wednesday began a large-scale verification of Gruha Jyoti (free power) beneficiaries on the orders of Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, as the mounting subsidy bill under the state's five flagship guarantee schemes strains the Congress government.

The door-to-door verification drive began on July 1, with the Chief Minister keen to ensure that subsidy benefits are limited to bona fide residents and voters of Karnataka. According to government sources, a few lakh beneficiaries of the free power scheme are registered as voters in other states.

As part of the exercise, officials sought details including beneficiaries' PAN card, Aadhaar, voter ID, income tax status, caste certificate, ration card type, profession, mobile number and a photograph, triggering criticism from the Opposition BJP.

Ahead of the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began on June 30, Shivakumar had warned that people could lose benefits under the state's five guarantee schemes if they failed to participate in the exercise and secure their voting rights. The Chief Minister has also been holding back-to-back meetings with officials to explore ways to keep subsidy spending manageable while reducing other unnecessary expenditure.

The Karnataka government is estimated to spend about Rs 34,000 crore on free electricity in 2026-27, including Rs 10,578 crore under the Gruha Jyoti scheme. In his Budget speech earlier this year, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Congress government had spent Rs 1,21,598 crore on the five guarantee schemes till the end of February 2026.

The Opposition BJP questioned why officials were seeking PAN card details, caste certificates and income information from Gruha Jyoti beneficiaries, alleging that the Congress government was attempting to reduce the number of beneficiaries.

Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said the verification drive was a ploy to trim the beneficiary list because the state's finances were under strain.

Ashoka said that before the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress had promised 200 units of free electricity to every household without conditions, but was now attempting to determine eligibility based on income and caste. He alleged that the government could use PAN and caste details to exclude a large number of beneficiaries from the scheme.