Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer, Rathan U. Kelkar, has advised the Election Commission of India (ECI) to postpone the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls until after the 2025 local body elections.
Kelkar’s recommendation, made on Sunday, follows a meeting with recognized political parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress, who unanimously called for the delay.
On Monday, Kelkar explained that the same officials responsible for the SIR would also serve as returning officers for the upcoming local body polls. He emphasized that managing both extensive tasks simultaneously would be extremely challenging. The CEO’s office anticipates that the general local body elections in Kerala will conclude by the third week of December, creating a clearer window for the SIR to commence.
The State Election Commission, tasked with overseeing the local body elections, has not yet released the official schedule.
While Kerala is gearing up for State Assembly elections, likely scheduled for May 2026, Kelkar noted that the SIR is a time-bound process, expected to be completed within three months, drawing parallels from Bihar’s experience. His recommendation to the ECI came as the announcement for the SIR schedule was imminent.
Preparatory work for the SIR in Kerala had already begun, mirroring the process initiated in Bihar. This included several district-level meetings organized by Collectors, in addition to the state-level consultation Kelkar held with political stakeholders.
Political parties at Saturday’s meeting voiced significant concerns regarding both the timing of the SIR and the decision to use the 2002 electoral rolls as the foundational document. A majority of the attending parties expressed a clear sentiment against holding the SIR at this juncture. They also urged the ECI to postpone the exercise until after the local body elections and to include ration cards as a valid form of identification.
Highlighting public discontent, M.V. Jayarajan of the CPI(M) emphatically stated at the meeting that a ‘Bihar Model’ SIR would not be acceptable in Kerala. Similarly, Congress MLA P.C. Vishnunadh deemed it ‘impractical’ to conduct the SIR when the state was on the cusp of intense local body election activities.