Parties term extension of SIR schedule insufficient

While the Election Commission of India (EC) has extended the docket of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by a week successful Kerala, governmental parties successful the State termed it insufficient and person requested that it beryllium extended further.

At a play reappraisal gathering convened by Chief Electoral serviceman (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar, representatives of large governmental parties slammed the EC for “creating a situation” wherever the Supreme Court had to measurement successful to follow a stance favourable to Kerala.

While the Communist Party of India (Marxist) sought much clip for completing the SIR astatine Saturday’s meeting, the Communist Party of India demanded that the enumeration signifier beryllium extended till December extremity and the Kerala Congress till January 31, 2026.

Former Minister M. Vijayakumar of the CPI(M) observed that Kerala’s combat for SIR hold was noticed nationally. But the latest hold by a week fixed by the EC was insufficient. He urged the EC to suo motu determine connected a further extension.

M.K. Rahman of the Congress said that, connected an average, 120 to 150 names were connected the ‘absent, shifted, dead’ (ASD) database successful each polling station. This could pb to lakhs of radical being excluded from the last rolls. The further clip announced by the EC connected Friday was insufficient, helium said.

Sathyan Mokeri of the CPI criticised the EC for “creating a situation” wherever the Supreme Court had to intervene. He demanded that the enumeration signifier beryllium extended till December 31. “Why make a scare successful the radical that they would suffer their citizenship,” helium said, adding that the EC would beryllium liable adjacent if a azygous eligible elector were to beryllium excluded from the rolls.

Mohammed Shah, State caput of the Indian Union Muslim League, urged Mr. Kelkar to urgently convene a gathering with organisations representing overseas Malayalis since NORKA had not conducted it. He besides termed the clip fixed successful the SIR docket for filing of claims and objections and their solution arsenic inadequate.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed different governmental parties for creating a needless scare astir the SIR. J.R. Padmakumar, who represented the BJP, urged predetermination officials to guarantee that nary idiosyncratic was excluded from the rolls without a due hearing.

Mathew George of the Kerala Congress, K. Jayakumar of the RSP, and K. Anandakumar of the Kerala Congress (M) besides spoke.