9.70 lakh applicants seek inclusion in electoral roll

Thiruvananthapuram: The number of applications for inclusion in the electoral roll has risen sharply in the state during the ongoing intensive revision (SIR) process. A total of 9,70,108 applications have been received so far. Of these, 4.05 lakh were submitted before the publication of the draft electoral roll on December 23, while 5.64 lakh were filed after the draft was released.

No action had been taken on applications received prior to the publication of the draft list. Besides first-time voters, many of the applicants include those whose names were earlier removed from the electoral roll for various reasons.

The Election Commission has also received complaints seeking the deletion of 5,528 names, including those of deceased persons, duplicate entries, and individuals not residing at the recorded addresses. Before the release of the draft roll, applications had been filed to remove 2,419 names. However, the Commission maintained that further action would be initiated only after confirming their presence in the draft list.

The Commission has expressed uncertainty over how such a large number of ineligible names remain on the electoral roll even after the completion of the SIR verification process.

The deadline for submitting applications for inclusion and for raising objections is the 30th. With the original deadline, which was set to end on Thursday, having been extended, officials expect a further increase in applications in the coming days. The Commission has decided to conduct a detailed scrutiny of all applications and publish the final electoral roll on February 21.

Applicants will also be allowed to seek inclusion in the voters’ list even after the 30th, though such names will be added to a supplementary roll.