Election Commission’s SIR plan a menace to democracy, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) strongly criticised the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) determination to hold out a particular intensive revision (SIR) of the voter record in Kerala and different States, calling it “a severe problem to the democratic course of.”

In an announcement, he stated the transfer raised doubts in regards to the ballot panel’s intentions and warned that it might undermine public belief within the electoral system.

Mr. Vijayan identified that the ECI was getting ready to base the revision on voter lists from 2002 to 2004 as a substitute of the prevailing rolls, which might violate the Representation of the People Act of 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules of 1960.

These legal guidelines clearly state that any replace have to be made utilizing the present voter record as its basis, he stated.

The Chief Minister famous that the State Election Officer had already knowledgeable the ECI {that a} particular intensive revision could be impractical as Kerala is getting ready for native physique elections.

“Pressing ahead with the SIR at this stage, despite those warnings, raises suspicions about the purpose behind the move,” Mr. Vijayan stated.

His assertion comes a day after the ECI introduced that the SIR could be carried out between November and February in 12 States and Union Territories, together with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and West Bengal, all of that are on account of maintain Assembly elections in 2026.