SIR: 24.5 Lakh Names Excluded From Final Electoral Roll; 2.69 Crore Voters in Final List

Thiruvananthapuram: The final electoral roll prepared under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted by the Central Election Commission in Kerala includes 2,69,53,644 (2.69 crore) voters. Meanwhile, 24.50 lakh names were excluded from the electoral roll during various stages of SIR.

When the SIR exercise commenced, the state had 2.78 crore registered voters. During the preparation of the draft roll, 24.08 lakh names were removed after officials reported that the individuals could not be traced. Additionally, 53,229 names were deleted during the enumeration and hearing stages due to reasons such as death, acquisition of foreign citizenship, or migration from the state.

Among those initially included in the draft roll, 19.32 lakh individuals did not have their names, or those of their parents or guardians, in the 2002 electoral roll. Another 17.56 lakh voters were flagged due to discrepancies in their names or addresses. In total, 36.88 lakh individuals from these two categories were issued notices and called for hearings. Following scrutiny and further exclusions, the electoral roll temporarily came down to 2.53 crore voters.

However, with the acceptance of 15.64 lakh new applications, the final voter count has risen to 2.69 crore. The final electoral roll will be officially published on Saturday, and constituency-wise copies will be distributed to political parties. This updated roll will be used for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Names Can Still Be Added

Although the SIR application process concluded on January 31, eligible voters can still apply for inclusion in the electoral roll. Applications will be accepted until the last date for filing nominations for the Assembly elections.

As of February 16, officials have received 1.23 lakh new applications (Form 6), including 7,421 from non-resident applicants. These applications will be processed after the publication of the final electoral roll and, upon verification, eligible names will be added to the supplementary list.