Thiruvananthapuram: Nearly 16 lakh people have applied for inclusion in the local body voters' list, far surpassing the Election Commission’s expectations and likely addressing a shortfall of around 10 lakh names in the draft list.

As of Tuesday evening, a total of 15,94,379 applications had been received. The deadline for submitting online applications to add, correct or remove names from the voters' list ends on Thursday.

ECI estimates that, after processing and verifying the applications, the final list may see around 15 lakh new voters. For comparison, the 2020 local body elections, held during the COVID pandemic, recorded around 14 lakh new applicants.

Officials noted that some overlap is likely, with multiple political parties possibly submitting applications for the same individuals. The active involvement of political parties this year has also contributed significantly to the rise in numbers.