After Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to roll out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala. The ECI plans to complete the process before the 2026 Assembly elections.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala, Rathan U. Kelkar, said on Friday that his office is awaiting a formal announcement of the SIR schedule from the Election Commission of India. He added that groundwork for the revision has already begun, with rolls prepared under the 2002 intensive revision uploaded.
The SIR schedule is expected to be declared in October, leaving around seven months to prepare a fresh electoral roll ahead of the Assembly elections in May 2026.
Kelkar expressed confidence that the revision process would be smooth and assured that no eligible voter would be excluded.
“We don’t feel that the SIR will affect any eligible citizen in Kerala. Complaints regarding the electoral roll will be settled once and for all when the SIR is done,” he said.
Explaining the difference between the SIR and the Special Summary Revisions (SSR), the CEO said: “Unlike the SSR, where the existing rolls are published for new enrolments, deletions, and objections, the SIR treats the rolls afresh. House-to-house verification is a compulsory component, and voters will also need to fill in an enumeration form.”
He further said that the SIR will classify voters into three categories: those born before 1987, those born between 1987 and 2004, and those born after 2004, in line with amendments made to the Citizenship Act.