No more SIR extensions for Kerala, says EC

The Election Commission of India (EC) has informed the State government that the deadlines for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll cannot be extended anymore, Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference here in connection with the publication of the draft electoral roll, Mr. Kelkar said the EC had informed Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak on Monday itself that a two-week extension had been given earlier acknowledging the requirements of the State. The EC has also informed the Chief Secretary that no more extensions can be given, Mr. Kelkar said.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday, the Kerala government had sought extension of the deadline for submitting enumeration forms under SIR, observing that around 25 lakh people could be excluded under the present situation. The government had wanted the deadline to be extended by at least two weeks.

In his letter to the EC, Mr. Jayathilak had listed out certain shortcomings in the SIR exercise. He had conveyed the Kerala government’s apprehension that a substantial number of voters may be excluded from the draft rolls.

Mr. Kelkar also added that the assessment is that booth-level officers (BLO) have carried out their work well.

Mr. Kelkar said his office is focusing on people in the 18 to 30 age group to get them enrolled in the voters’ list.

According to him, only 60% in this age group is currently on the rolls. Election officials are conducting awareness programmes in educational institutions to encourage young people to enroll in the voters’ list and also cast their vote in elections, he said.

Mr. Kelkar was responding to a situation where its new draft rolls has 31.63 lakh voters less compared to the rolls maintained by the State Election Commission, which handles elections to the local bodies. While the draft roll of the EC, which conducts Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, has 2.54 crore voters, the SEC has 2.86 crore voters on its rolls.