Cong in Kerala says SIR impractical in state amidst preparations for local body polls

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 15 (PTI) The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Monday criticised the Election Commission's move to implement the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and said it is currently "impractical" in Kerala as local body polls are round the corner.

The EC's attempt to revise the voter list amid the busy arrangements for Local Self Government Department (LSGD) elections would pave the way for a major crisis, a KPCC meeting opined.

The date for the LSGD election is yet to be announced in the state.

The meeting, chaired by KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, was attended by DCC presidents and other party functionaries, a statement said.

The KPCC alleged that the Election Commission is hastily implementing the SIR in Kerala to disrupt the current situation in the state.

"It would be impractical to conduct a parallel SIR in the meantime, with only weeks left for the local elections," it said.

Citing the recent electoral roll reforms in Bihar, it said the voters' list revision has left a large number of voters out of the list and out of citizenship in that state, it said.

The fact is that those who are left out of the list do not have enough time to submit their documents, it further pointed out.

The comprehensive voter list revision in Kerala is being carried out based on the 2002 voter list, the KPCC said, adding that as many as 53.25 lakh people in the 2025 voter list are not included in this.

"All of them must undergo enumeration in person or online. Documents must be submitted if necessary. This will impose undue hardship on voters," the meeting further pointed out.

The KPCC meeting also criticised the SIR for not having provisions to ensure the voting rights of existing genuine voters.

The KPCC's criticism came days after Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan had alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was a "BJP tactic" to disrupt free and fair elections and the Congress-led UDF would strongly oppose all attempts to implement it in the state.

He had said implementation of SIR in Kerala would lead to many people who have been voting for the last more than 20 years being removed from the voters list.

Election Commission officials recently said that the poll panel will soon decide on the date to roll out SIR on a pan-India basis, and the exercise to clean up the voter list across states may take place before the end of the year.

Officials said that with as many as five assembly polls, including in Kerala, due next year, the all-India SIR could take place in the coming months in 2025. PTI LGK KH