Political events in Kerala increase considerations over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) at assembly referred to as by Chief Electoral Officer, urge ECI to postpone SIR till after the native physique polls

Major political events, together with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Congress, have expressed severe concern over the timing of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala in addition to the plan to make use of the 2002 SIR rolls as the bottom doc for the upcoming revision.

Majority of the recognised political events that attended a gathering convened by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO-Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar said that the overall sentiment was in opposition to holding the SIR in Kerala. They additionally wished Mr. Kelkar to induce the Election Commission of India (ECI) to place off the train till after the 2025 native physique polls and embody the ration card as a sound identification doc.

A serious demand made by the political events was that the newest rolls or the rolls used for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections needs to be used as the bottom doc somewhat than a 23-year-old doc.

“Why do voters who have already got electoral picture ID playing cards (EPIC) and their names within the newest rolls and who even have voted previously 5 elections once more need to fill in enumeration types?” M.V. Jayarajan of the CPI(M) stated, urging the ECI to make use of the 2024 Lok Sabha ballot rolls as a substitute. He additionally identified {that a} “Bihar mannequin” SIR the place lakhs of individuals confronted expulsion from the record, can’t be accepted in Kerala.

P.C. Vishnunadh MLA of the Congress stated it was “impractical” to carry the SIR when Kerala was about to be within the thick of the 2025 native physique elections. He described the transfer to make use of the 2002 electoral rolls as the bottom paperwork as “outdated knowledge mapping.” Mr. Vishnunadh additionally urged the ECI to record the ration playing cards as a sound identification doc for the SIR in Kerala. M. Liju, basic secretary, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) added that the SIR can’t be seen as an answer to the electoral roll points associated to the addition and deletion of names raised by the Congress social gathering.  

C.P. Cheriya Muhammed, State secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Ok. Raju, a former minister who represented the Communist Party of India (CPI), P.G. Presanna Kumar of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Joy Abraham of the Kerala Congress and Ok. Anandakumar of Kerala Congress (M) additionally shared the view that the newest rolls needs to be used.

Given the massive expatriate Malayali inhabitants, together with college students, political events additionally demanded measures to make sure that not one of the eligible abroad voters from the State are overlooked of the voters’ record.

BJP welcomes SIR in State

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the SIR, however urged the CEO’s workplace to make sure that all eligible residents are included within the record. B. Gopalakrishnan, who represented the BJP, stated that having voted in a earlier election doesn’t robotically confer citizenship. For that, any particular person ought to fulfil the three circumstances set out within the Constitution to be a citizen, he identified.

Political events together with the BJP additionally urged the Commission to make clear the definition of the Malayalam time period ‘Kudiyettakkaar.’

Political events additionally accused the CEO’s workplace of not taking them into confidence, observing that conferences on SIR had been already convened by Collectors of 4 districts and the truth that procedures with respect to SIR had been launched within the State earlier than Saturday’s State-level session.

Even although the ECI is but to announce the SIR schedule for Kerala, Mr. Kelkar had chaired the State-level assembly of recognised political events as a part of the efforts to allay considerations. Additional CEO Sharmila C. and senior election officers had been current on the assembly.