The Election Commission of India (EC) has informed the state government that the dates for the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll cannot be extended any more, Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference here in connection with the release of the draft voter list, Mr. Kelkar said that the EC had itself informed Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak on Monday that an extension of two weeks had already been granted, confirming the state’s demands. The EC has also informed the Chief Secretary that no further extension can be granted, Mr. Kelkar said.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday, the Kerala government sought an extension in the deadline for submission of census forms under the SIR, noting that under the current situation, about 25 lakh people could be excluded. The government wanted the deadline to be extended by at least two weeks.
In his letter to the EC, Mr. Jayathilak listed certain deficiencies in the SIR exercise. He expressed the Kerala government’s apprehension that a significant number of voters may be excluded from the draft list.
Mr. Kelkar also added that the assessment is that the cabin level officers (BLOs) have done their job well.
Mr. Kelkar said his office is targeting people in the age group of 18 to 30 years to enroll them in the voters’ list.
According to him, only 60% are currently on the course in this age group. Election officials are conducting awareness programs in educational institutions to encourage young people to get registered as voters and also to cast their vote in the elections, he said.
Mr. Kelkar was reacting to a situation where his new draft lists have 31.63 million fewer voters compared to the lists maintained by the State Election Commission, which manages local body elections. While the EC’s draft list, which governs the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, has 2.54 million voters, the SEC has 2.86 million voters in its rolls.
Published – 23 Dec 2025 21:17 IST
