Major governmental parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Congress, person expressed superior interest implicit the timing of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls successful Kerala arsenic good arsenic the program to usage the 2002 SIR rolls arsenic the basal papers for the upcoming revision.
Majority of the recognised governmental parties that attended a gathering convened by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO-Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar stated that the wide sentiment was against holding the SIR successful Kerala. They besides wanted Mr. Kelkar to impulse the Election Commission of India (ECI) to enactment disconnected the workout until aft the 2025 section assemblage polls and see the ration paper arsenic a valid recognition document.
A large request made by the governmental parties was that the latest rolls oregon the rolls utilized for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections should beryllium utilized arsenic the basal papers alternatively than a 23-year-old document.
“Why bash voters who already person electoral photograph ID cards (EPIC) and their names successful the latest rolls and who besides person voted successful the past 5 elections again person to capable successful enumeration forms?” M.V. Jayarajan of the CPI(M) said, urging the ECI to usage the 2024 Lok Sabha canvass rolls instead. He besides pointed retired that a “Bihar model” SIR wherever lakhs of radical faced expulsion from the list, cannot beryllium accepted successful Kerala.
P.C. Vishnunadh MLA of the Congress said it was “impractical” to clasp the SIR erstwhile Kerala was astir to beryllium successful the heavy of the 2025 section assemblage elections. He described the determination to usage the 2002 electoral rolls arsenic the basal documents arsenic “outdated information mapping.” Mr. Vishnunadh besides urged the ECI to database the ration cards arsenic a valid recognition papers for the SIR successful Kerala. M. Liju, wide secretary, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) added that the SIR cannot beryllium viewed arsenic a solution to the electoral rotation issues related to the summation and deletion of names raised by the Congress party.
C.P. Cheriya Muhammed, State caput of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), K. Raju, a erstwhile curate who represented the Communist Party of India (CPI), P.G. Presanna Kumar of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Joy Abraham of the Kerala Congress and K. Anandakumar of Kerala Congress (M) besides shared the presumption that the latest rolls should beryllium used.
Given the immense expatriate Malayali population, including students, governmental parties besides demanded measures to guarantee that nary of the eligible overseas voters from the State are near retired of the voters’ list.
BJP welcomes SIR successful State
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the SIR, but urged the CEO’s bureau to guarantee that each eligible citizens are included successful the list. B. Gopalakrishnan, who represented the BJP, said that having voted successful a erstwhile predetermination does not automatically confer citizenship. For that, immoderate idiosyncratic should fulfil the 3 conditions acceptable retired successful the Constitution to beryllium a citizen, helium pointed out.
Political parties including the BJP besides urged the Commission to clarify the explanation of the Malayalam word ‘Kudiyettakkaar.’
Political parties besides accused the CEO’s bureau of not taking them into confidence, observing that meetings connected SIR were already convened by Collectors of 4 districts and the information that procedures with respect to SIR had been launched successful the State earlier Saturday’s State-level consultation.
Even though the ECI is yet to denote the SIR docket for Kerala, Mr. Kelkar had chaired the State-level gathering of recognised governmental parties arsenic portion of the efforts to allay concerns. Additional CEO Sharmila C. and elder predetermination officials were contiguous astatine the meeting.
