Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 23 (NationPress) The electoral roll draft created under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Kerala has been released, as stated by State Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U. Khelkar on Tuesday. This announcement has sparked significant political and public discourse after it was revealed that more than 24 lakh names have been omitted from the list.

Official statistics indicate that Kerala had 2,78,50,856 voters registered prior to the revision. During the SIR process, enumeration forms were dispatched to all voters listed in the October 2025 electoral roll.

Out of these, 2,54,42,352 forms were returned, reflecting a participation rate of 91.35 percent. The remaining 8.65 percent—approximately 24,80,503 voters—have yet to submit their forms.

The Election Commission has noted that 6,49,885 voters have been marked as deceased, while 6,45,548 individuals have been identified as “untraceable” during the enumeration. From the received forms, a booth-level draft list has been compiled, now consisting of around 2.54 crore voters.

Khelkar mentioned that measures are in place to ensure that draft voter lists for each constituency are accessible to all recognized political entities. Members of the public can check their names on the Election Commission's website by selecting their Assembly constituency, reviewing booth-wise data, or inputting their EPIC number.

The duration for filing claims and objections will remain open until February 21. Voters whose names are absent from the draft roll can submit claims during this period, and objections may also be raised regarding incorrectly included names. The final electoral roll is set to be published on February 21.

Special provisions have been established for voters categorized as “untraceable” who did not submit enumeration forms during the SIR phase. These voters can still be incorporated into the rolls by providing a declaration along with Form 6 within the specified timeframe.

Additionally, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will notify voters who submitted forms lacking complete or adequate information. Officials have emphasized that no voter will be arbitrarily removed; the deletion of any name will occur only after a triple-tier hearing process, guaranteeing due diligence and protections.

The Chief Electoral Officer clarified that applications for name inclusion can be submitted using Form 6, while overseas voters can apply via Form 6A. Form 7 is designated for name deletions, and Form 8 is for corrections or address changes, emphasizing that the revision process is both open and participatory.