Kerala to undertake SIR, to face 2026 poll with newly prepared electoral roll

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Kerala clearing the decks for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll, the state will face the 2026 assembly election with a newly-prepared electoral roll altogether unlike the usual practice of revising the existing voters list. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala, Rathan U Kelkar, told reporters here on Friday that the state is fully prepared to implement special intensive revision (SIR) once the Election Commission announces the schedule. He added that the aim of undertaking SIR is to ensure that all eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll and the Absentee, Shifted and Dead (ASD) category of electors are removed. It is under a Constitutional mandate that the EC has decided to carry out SIR across the country and it was implemented in Bihar in the first phase, Kelkar said. The official said the electoral roll revision process has three main steps publication of draft electoral roll, scrutinising claims and objections and publication of final electoral roll. The official explained the difference between the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral roll that is carried out periodically and SIR that the poll panel intends to carry out. In the case of SSR, only a sanitisation of the existing voters list is done. However, in SIR, a completely new electoral roll will be prepared, he said. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit houses with enumeration forms and include the names after verifying documents, Kelkar said. SIR is the most effective mechanism to prepare a healthy electoral roll that prevents duplication of names and ensures removal of ASD category of voters, the official said. The last SIR in Kerala was carried out in 2002 and the electoral data of 2002 will be used as a base document for undertaking fresh SIR. In the wake of a huge nationwide debate and concern triggered by the SIR exercise in Bihar, Kelkar sought to allay fears and stressed that no eligible voter would be left out of the rolls. The entire exercise will be carried out in a transparent manner. Any person who is a citizen of India, has completed 18 years of age and has not been disqualified as a voter, is eligible to be included in the electoral roll, Kelkar said. However, all ineligible voters will be weeded out of the electoral roll, he said.