Thiruvananthapuram,22 Dec (H.S.): The draft list of the intensive revision of Kerala’s voters’ roll will be published on Tuesday, marking a crucial step in the state’s electoral preparation. Citizens will have until January 22 to file claims and objections as stipulated by the Election Commission.

Separate application forms have been assigned for various purposes—Form 6 to add names, Form 6A for Non-Resident Indians, Form 7 for removal of names due to death, migration, or duplication, and Form 8 for corrections or changes in address. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will process the applications and announce their decisions.

If a voter’s name is removed after the hearing, an appeal may be filed before the District Election Officer (DEO) within 15 days of the ERO’s order. Those dissatisfied with the DEO’s ruling can submit a second appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days. The final list is expected to be published on February 21.

However, political parties have levelled serious accusations regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), claiming that nearly 24 lakh names have been removed across five categories—deceased, untraceable, permanently relocated, duplicate entries, and “others.”

While parties agree that duplicate entries must be deleted, they argue that significant errors have been made in identifying deceased and untraceable voters. Many allege that they have personally contacted individuals marked as “untraceable,” only to find them still residing at the same addresses. The “others” category has also raised suspicions due to its lack of clarity.

With the draft roll set to be released, parties plan to thoroughly examine the details and challenge discrepancies. The coming weeks are likely to see intense scrutiny and political debate as Kerala moves toward finalizing its voter rolls ahead of February’s publication.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman