SIR: 24.08 lakh voters out of the draft roll in the State

A little over 24 lakh voters in Kerala have been excluded from the draft electoral roll published by the Election Commission of India (EC) on Tuesday under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) under way in the State. The draft electoral roll has 2.54 crore voters. In all, 24,08,503 voters are in the Absent, Shifted, Dead (ASD) list published alongside the draft rolls. Of this, 6,45,548 are listed as ‘untraceable/absent,’ 8,16,221 as ‘permanently shifted,’ while 1,60,830, are in the ‘others’ category, which includes people who have refused to accept or return the enumeration forms. The list also has 6,49,885 dead voters and 1,36,029 duplicated names. This list, designated as ‘uncollectable enumeration forms’ by the EC, constitutes about 8.65% of the electors. Individuals in the ASD list can add their names to the electoral roll by filing a Form 6 application along with a declaration form, Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar said on Tuesday. Overseas electors should file their applications using Form 6A. The draft electoral roll published on Tuesday has 2,54,42,352 voters in all. This includes 1,30,58,731 female voters, 1,23,83,341 male voters and 280 transgender voters. Among the 14 districts, Malappuram has the highest number of voters, 32,38,452. Thiruvananthapuarm district has the highest number of transgender voters (57) followed by Malappuram (42) and Kozhikode (41). The electoral roll as on October 27, 2025, had 2,78,50,855 voters in all. The SIR enumeration forms had been issued to these voters. Interestingly, the number of voters in the draft rolls is 31.63 lakh less compared to the electoral roll maintained by the State Election Commission, which holds the elections to local bodies. The 2025 local body polls held earlier this month had, in all, 2,86,05,525 eligible voters. “The mandate of the SIR is to include all eligible voters in the voters’ list and exclude ineligible voters. We request all voters to check whether their names are in the draft roll,” Mr. Kelkar said. The draft roll has been published amid stiff opposition by the State government which, expressing deep concern over the possible exclusion of “nearly 25 lakh voters,” had sought more time for voters to submit the enumeration forms. Steps have also been taken to enroll new voters in the roll, he said. Claims and objections can be filed till January 22, Mr. Kelkar said. The notice phase (hearings and verification) will last till February 14. The final roll will be published on February 21. If a voter whose name is in the draft roll is excluded after a hearing by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), the first appeal can be filed before the District Election Officer (DEO) within 15 days of the order of the ERO. The second appeal can be filed with the CEO within 30 days of the DEO’s order. Notices will be served on the elector by the booth-level officers (BLO) and obtain acknowledgement on the second copy, as each notice is issued in duplicate. Published - December 23, 2025 08:37 pm IST

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