Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday strongly criticised the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala, calling it “an affront to our democratic process.”
Vijayan said that basing the exercise on “outdated lists” and rushing it ahead of local elections raises “serious concerns.”
“Kerala firmly opposes this attempt to undermine democracy and calls for united resistance to defend it,” the Chief Minister said.
His remarks come after the ECI announced the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision in 12 states and Union Territories, including Kerala.
Notably, earlier in September, the Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution urging the ECI to reconsider the SIR, warning that it could “potentially harm people’s rights.”
The resolution, unanimously passed by both the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), called for the rolls to be updated in a fair and transparent manner.
The ECI stated that the revision exercise will be conducted in Kerala from November 4 to December 4, even as the State Election Commission (SEC) prepares for the Local Self-Government (LSG) elections.
The SEC recently published the final draft of the LSG electoral rolls and is expected to announce the poll schedule next week.
The overlap between the two exercises has sparked concern, as over 2.78 crore voters in Kerala could face confusion, with separate rolls being used for the LSG and Assembly elections.
Political parties, except the BJP, have opposed the timing, warning that the state’s administrative machinery will be stretched thin with both exercises occurring simultaneously.
Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) are expected to visit households as part of the SIR, but political parties say they will struggle to assign Booth-Level Agents during the peak of the LSG campaign.
Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Rathan U. Kelkar said the process will be “simple and voter-friendly” and that the state will not face the confusion experienced in Bihar during the first phase.
He added that the basic document for the revision will be the 2002 electoral roll, which listed 2.24 crore voters, compared to 2.78 crore in 2025.
Kelkar also urged political parties to cooperate and assign more Booth-Level Agents to ensure a smooth revision process.
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