Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 5 (NationPress) The Congress party in Kerala has formally requested the State Election Commission to prolong the deadline for including names in the voter list prior to the impending local body elections.

V.D. Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, submitted a letter to the State Election Commission on Tuesday regarding this matter.

As per the existing timeline, the final voter list was released on July 23, and citizens were allocated a 15-day window, closing on August 7, to submit applications for name inclusion.

The updated list comprises nearly 26.68 million voters, reflecting changes made from the 2020 records with updates in 2023 and 2024.

However, Satheesan highlighted that the short time frame, combined with extensive technical issues, has hindered many eligible voters from registering.

“From the beginning, numerous locations experienced disruptions to the online system designated for adding names, updating details, and transferring voter information across wards. These problems have reportedly intensified as the deadline nears, with frequent complaints about the official website becoming unresponsive or crashing,” stated Satheesan.

“There have been multiple reports that many individuals who previously voted are unable to find their names in the current list,” the Opposition Leader remarked in his letter.

Pointing to the technical malfunctions and the rising number of public complaints, Satheesan urged the Election Commission to extend the deadline by at least another 15 days to ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their democratic rights.

As of now, the Election Commission has not responded officially to this appeal.

The upcoming local body elections in Kerala are slated for December 2025, encompassing almost all existing institutions—excluding Mattannur Municipality, which has a distinct electoral cycle—across approximately 1,200 local self-government bodies, including Gram Panchayats, Block Panchayats, District Panchayats, Municipalities, and Municipal Corporations.

These local body elections are perceived by the three main political factions—the LDF, UDF, and NDA—as “semi-finals” leading up to the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections, which are anticipated to occur in April or May of the following year.

With the future of grassroots governance at stake and voter sentiment in focus, the local body elections are expected to be a critical barometer of public sentiment as the state polls approach.