The Election Commission of India (ECI) has granted a one-week extension for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Kerala. The crucial deadline for publishing the draft roll has been moved from December 16 to December 23.
Supreme Court Prompt and State Request Lead to Extension
This decision came after a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Friday, which included Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer Rathan Kelkar and State Chief Secretary A Jayathilak. The move aligns with a recent directive from the Supreme Court, which asked the ECI to consider the state's plea for more time sympathetically. The state government had cited the upcoming civic polls on December 9 and 11 as a reason for needing an extended schedule for the enumeration phase of the revision.
Revised Timeline for Kerala's Electoral Roll Revision
During the meeting, CEO Rathan Kelkar informed the Commission that the draft roll was on track for a December 16 publication, with 95% of enumeration forms already digitised. He assured that full digitisation would be completed before December 11. The original window for filing claims and objections was set from December 16 to January 15.
After careful consideration, the ECI issued an order revising the entire SIR schedule for Kerala. The key new dates are as follows:
- Enumeration period will continue until December 18.
- The draft electoral roll will now be published on December 23.
- The period for filing claims and objections will run from December 23 to January 22.
Concurrent Processing and Final Publication
The notice phase, which includes issuance, hearing, and verification, along with decisions on forms and disposal of claims, will be handled concurrently by Electoral Registration Officers from December 23, 2025, to February 14, 2026.
The final steps involve checking the health parameters of the rolls and obtaining the ECI's permission for final publication by February 17, 2026. Consequently, the final electoral roll for Kerala will be officially published on February 21, 2026.
This extension provides additional time for ensuring a comprehensive and accurate revision of the voter list, a fundamental process for upholding the integrity of the democratic exercise in the state.
