The Election Commission of India faced significant opposition from multiple political parties during a crucial meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday to review the progress of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. The weekly assessment meeting witnessed heated exchanges as representatives from Congress, Left parties, BJP, and Muslim League raised serious concerns about the entire process.
Major Concerns Raised by Political Parties
During the meeting, Congress and Left parties strongly questioned the EC's insistence on publishing the draft voter list on the same day as local body elections. The first phase of local body elections in Kerala is scheduled for December 9, making the timing of the voter list publication a critical issue for all political stakeholders.
Political parties collectively demanded an extension of the deadline, citing technical obstacles in the digitization process and unfavorable court positions that could complicate the entire exercise. The final review meeting before completing the form distribution process became a platform for airing these grievances.
Specific Party Objections and Fears
BJP leader J R Padmakumar raised fundamental questions about the relevance of the Special Intensive Revision if everyone from the 2002 voter list and those who signed the forms were being included in the draft list anyway. This, he argued, made the entire SIR exercise redundant and unnecessary.
The Muslim League expressed even more serious concerns, warning that those unable to present proper identification documents might be declared non-citizens and face deportation. This has created widespread fear among ordinary people regarding the SIR process, potentially undermining voter participation.
Election Commission's Response and Current Status
Chief Electoral Officer Rathan Kelkar responded to the concerns by assuring that the Election Commission would provide assistance to anyone worried about being excluded from the voter list. "No eligible person would be excluded from the final list," Kelkar firmly stated during the meeting.
The CEO specifically mentioned that the EC would extend help if political parties provided a list of individuals who needed assistance with the registration process. This assurance came as a partial relief to the concerned party representatives.
Regarding the current progress, Kelkar revealed that only five days remain to complete the distribution and digitization of SIR forms. The commission has achieved 85% form returns, with approximately 761,000 forms still pending submission. In a positive development, the CEO reported that verification of 91% of people from the 2002 voter list has been successfully completed.
Kelkar concluded the meeting by announcing that another session with political parties would be convened before the final draft list is officially released, providing one more opportunity for stakeholders to voice their concerns.
