Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday emphasised that pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of any democracy, asserting that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists was conducted to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible person is included.
Addressing a press conference in Kochi after reviewing preparations for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, the CEC said maintaining the purity of electoral rolls is fundamental to a healthy democratic system.
“Pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy. The Special Intensive Revision undertaken recently had a single and clear objective—that no eligible voter should be excluded and no ineligible person should be included. It was carried out in a fair and transparent manner,” he said.
Recalling the state’s role in electoral innovations, Kumar noted that Kerala witnessed the first pilot use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Paravoor Assembly constituency in 1982, adding that the state has long served as a model for democratic practices.
The CEC also said Kerala had been his workplace for nearly 18 years and that he had served as the District Collector of Ernakulam around 22 years ago.
Kumar said eligible voters who may have been excluded from the electoral rolls following the SIR exercise can still apply for inclusion until the last date for filing nominations for the Assembly elections.
Such applicants must submit Form 6 of the Election Commission of India, the prescribed application form for enrolling new voters, along with relevant documents.
Complaints regarding wrongful inclusion of names in the electoral roll can be raised through Form 7, which allows objections to inclusion or requests for deletion of names due to death, relocation, or other reasons.
The CEC also announced that, for the first time in Kerala, coloured photographs of candidates will be displayed on EVMs to help voters identify candidates more clearly.
“In order to enable electors to select the candidate of their choice without any doubt, coloured photographs of candidates will be displayed on EVMs for the first time in Kerala,” he said.