Kerala Governor kicks off voter list revision as Left, UDF protest exercise

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' lists in the state, even as the ruling Left and the Opposition Congress-led UDF continued to protest against the exercise.

Launching the SIR at the Raj Bhavan, the Governor said that the revised voters' list should be total besides being more accurate and inclusive, so as to facilitate free and fair elections.

He also urged electoral officers in the state to ensure that no eligible voter is left out in the revised voters' list, a Raj Bhavan statement said.

Arlekar appealed to the people of Kerala to wholeheartedly support and cooperate with the SIR process to make it speedy and fault-free.

The Governor assured all support to the electoral officers, the statement said.

Ratan U Kelkar, Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, explained the SIR process and procedure to the Governor.

Sharmila C, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Krishnadasan P, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Rusi R S, Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Madhu, Electoral Registration Officer and Benazir, Booth Level Officer were also present on the occasion, it added.

The exercise was launched a day after the Cabinet decided to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the steps to oppose the initiative.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at a press conference here, had said the decision of the EC to "hastily" implement the SIR was a matter of concern.

He said that the Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution pointing out the dangers of this move, which poses a challenge to the very democratic process of our country, and had urged that the SIR be withdrawn and that the revision of the voters’ list be carried out in a transparent manner.