Kollam: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a clarification to allay public concerns following reports that the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala had run into technical difficulties that could lead to large-scale voter exclusion.

In a clarification issued on Thursday, the Commission said there was “no reason for citizens to fear exclusion from the final SIR list in Kerala,” stressing that progeny mapping for 92.40 per cent of voters has already been successfully completed.

“We wish to clarify the following points to prevent unnecessary public anxiety,” the ECI said, adding that the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) are the designated hearing authorities and have the discretionary power to waive the requirement of physical appearance if they are satisfied with the documents submitted.

According to the Commission, this flexibility is intended particularly to assist Overseas Voters and VIPs who may be unable to attend hearings in person. It also said the ERONET system has been updated with new modules to process such cases seamlessly where voters are physically unable to appear.

The clarification follows reports that technical limitations in the ERONET software did not allow the inclusion of voters who submitted documents directly to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) without attending hearings, raising fears of automatic exclusion from the electoral roll.

Earlier, voters who appeared in the 2002 electoral roll, or their relatives, were informed that personal attendance at hearings was mandatory if progeny mapping had not been completed. Subsequently, during a meeting with political party representatives, the Commission revised this position, stating that submission of documents to BLOs during notice delivery would suffice, with Assistant Electoral Registration Officers verifying documents uploaded through the BLO App.

However, concerns emerged after it was found that the software initially lacked provisions to include applicants who did not attend hearings, triggering fears that Kerala could witness exclusions similar to those reported in Uttar Pradesh.

Officials said cases where voters did not appear for hearings have now been set aside for rescheduling. BLOs have also been verbally informed that applications submitted in anticipation of a software update can be processed later.

The ECI clarification seeks to address these concerns, assuring that procedural flexibility and updated digital systems are in place to prevent wrongful deletions from the electoral rolls.