Kerala SIR house-to-house enumeration phase to end on December 18

Kerala is moving into the next phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll with the house-to-house enumeration phase coming to a close on Thursday (December 18).

Once the draft electoral roll is published on December 23, the booth-wise list of individuals who are not included on the list will be displayed on the notice boards of the electoral registration offices. This list will be available for scrutiny on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) and copies will be provided to recognised political parties. Booth-level officers (BLO) also have the list with them.

“This will allow the public to inspect the list and know the reasons why names have not been included,” CEO Rathan U. Kelkar’s office said on Wednesday. The BLOs have already handed over the list containing the names of absent, shifted and dead (ASD) voters to the booth-level agents appointed by the political parties, the CEO’s office said.

As per the latest updates, the number of ‘uncollectable’ enumeration forms (untraceable and ASD voters) stands at 24.95 lakh.

The draft electoral roll will be published on December 23. Claims and objections can be filed from that date to January 22. Voters who could not submit their enumeration forms on time can enroll in the voters’ list by filing their application using Form 6 with an affidavit. (Form 6 for new enrollment, Form 6A for overseas electors, Form 7 for removal of names on account of death, shifting, duplication of names and Form 8 for change of address and other corrections. Forms are available on https://voters.eci.gov.in).

Hearings and appeals

Those who have not provided sufficient information would be summoned for hearings by the EROs. If a voter whose name is on the draft roll is excluded after the hearing, the first appeal can be filed before the District Election Officer within 15 days of the ERO’s order. The second appeal, if needed, can be filed before the CEO within 30 days of the order on the first appeal being issued.

Mr. Kelkar urged the voters to make use of these opportunities to ensure the accuracy of the voter roll.

Following the SIR, the final electoral roll will be published on February 21. Nonetheless, citizens will be able to add their names or make changes to the rolls until the last date for submitting nomination papers for the 2026 State Assembly elections, Mr. Kelkar said.