Kerala CM flags 25 lakh voter exclusions in SIR draft, urges Election Commission action
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday expressed concern over media reports stating that 25 lakh people have been excluded from the draft voter list being prepared as part of the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.
In a statement, Vijayan urged the Election Commission to ensure that not a single eligible voter whose name appeared in the voter list during the Special Summary Revision conducted in September 2025 is excluded from the revised list prepared under SIR.
The chief minister alleged that the Election Commission implemented the entire process without adequate transparency. He said that information related to SIR should be made transparent and made available on the website in a manner accessible to political parties and the general public.
His statement came a day after the Election Commission announced the completion of the enumeration phase of the SIR of the electoral roll in Kerala. Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar said that 24.81 lakh voters fall under the "untraceable" category, which includes 6.49 lakh deceased voters, 6.89 lakh untraceable voters, 8.21 lakh shifted voters, 1.34 lakh duplicate entries, and 1.86 lakh under other categories.
Vijayan said the worrying aspect is that, apart from the deceased, those who have permanently migrated, cases of duplicate registration, and persons who could not be traced, a large number of deletions are also being made under the vague category of "others".
The chief minister alleged that even the Election Commission itself lacks clarity on who exactly falls under this category of "others".
"There is little doubt that a voter list riddled with flaws is being prepared. The right to vote should not be cancelled for technical reasons. It is a right that must be guaranteed to every adult citizen in a democratic society. Denying this right is equivalent to destroying the very foundation of democracy," Vijayan said.
Noting that in Kerala the SIR process was previously carried out in 2002, the chief minister said that at that time anyone below the age of 18 (that is, those who are below 40 years of age today) was required to prove their family relationship in order to be included in the voter list.
"As this process was not completed, available information indicates that at present around two lakh people per district remain ineligible to be included in the voter list," he said.
He said the Election Commission itself is responsible for the current situation, as it carried out a voter list revision--an exercise that requires long-term preparation and consultation--with unnecessary haste, and that too at a time when local body elections were taking place.
"The government and representatives of political parties had, even at that time, demanded that this hurried and pressure-driven approach, which rushed and burdened BLOs, be reconsidered. However, the Commission chose to move forward with further actions without accepting these demands," Vijayan said.
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He said the Election Commission should take steps to ensure that every last eligible voter in the state is included in the voter list.
"The state government will take all necessary measures to achieve this," Vijayan said, referring to the case filed by the Kerala Government before the Supreme Court in this regard.
"The Supreme Court itself has taken the shortcomings in the voter list revision seriously and has directed that the concerns raised by the state government be addressed. The Election Commission must review the steps taken so far and avoid unnecessary haste," he said.
Instead of excluding voters from the list by citing technical reasons, the foundation of voter list revision should be to include all eligible citizens while upholding democratic values, the chief minister added.
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Bengaluru: Shopkeeper stabbed for refusing to serve free panipuri
Bengaluru: A roadside panipuri vendor was stabbed by an allegedly intoxicated man in Byatarayanapura after he refused to serve food for free, police said on Friday. The injured shopkeeper has been admitted to a hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 10.30 p.m. on Thursday at a panipuri stall located on Byatarayanapura Main Road. The accused, who was reportedly under the influence of alcohol, demanded free panipuri from the vendor. When the shopkeeper refused, citing that he depended on the stall for his livelihood, an argument ensued.
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During the altercation, the accused allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the shopkeeper in the abdomen before fleeing the spot. Passersby and residents rushed to the victim’s aid and shifted him to a nearby hospital.
Doctors have said that despite the seriousness of the injury, the shopkeeper’s condition is stable. Police have arrested the accused and registered a case. Further investigation is under way.
