SIR: Parties question timing as Kerala set to publish draft voters list on December 8

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar on Saturday said concerns raised by political parties regarding the revised electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will be examined and addressed in accordance with established rules.

Kelkar was speaking at a meeting with representatives of political parties to review the ongoing SIR process in the state.

He said 2.78 crore enumeration forms have been distributed so far, and those who return the signed forms will be included in the draft electoral roll.

“If a person is not in the 2002 voters' list and has returned the enumeration form, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will decide whether to accept or delete the name from the new roll. The ERO can act on their own based on available records,” Kelkar said. He added that complaints raised by political parties will be handled strictly as per guidelines.

Kelkar further noted that if political parties find that any eligible voter has been omitted, they may submit the details for verification, after which the name will be added.

According to the Election Commission of India, around 85 per cent of enumeration forms have already been collected, while about 7.61 lakh are still pending in Kerala.

Except for the BJP, representatives of all other political parties expressed concerns over the timing of the SIR. They questioned why the Election Commission is pushing to complete the revision by December 4 and publish the draft roll on December 8, just a day before the first phase of local body elections in the state.

Parties also highlighted technical difficulties faced by Booth Level Officers in uploading enumeration details due to software glitches.

PTI inputs