Political parties in Kerala urge poll panel to extend SIR schedule
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Pointing out major inaccuracies in the inclusion of voters in the uncollectable forms category as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, majority of the recognised political parties in the state have demanded extension of the SIR enrolment time-frame at least till the end of December to rectify the anomalies and enrol more voters. The demand was raised by representatives of political parties, except the BJP, at the weekly meeting chaired by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)-Kerala Rathan U Kelkar here on Saturday to review the progress of SIR in the state. Meanwhile, the number of people clubbed in the uncollectable forms category, that also includes those who have been marked as Absent, Shifted or Dead (ASD), stood at 24.08 lakh, Of these, 6.45 lakh are listed as untraceable. While 8.16 lakh have permanently shifted their residence, another 1.60 lakh fall in the others category. Kelkar clarified that the others category includes people who have refused to accept or return the enumeration forms. The number of voters who have been marked as dead or duplicate entries are 6.49 lakh and 1.36 lakh respectively. Meanwhile, political party representatives cited numerous instances to show that many people were erroneously listed as untraceable or Enrolment Form refused. They also said that hundreds of voters were included in the ASD category in many booths located in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts.
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