Kerala, 21 February (H.S.)Kerala will publish its final electoral roll today following the completion of an intensive revision exercise carried out by the Election Commission. The updated voters’ list reflects significant additions and deletions after scrutiny of claims, objections and fresh applications.

According to official data, the final roll comprises a total of 2,69,53,644 voters across the State. Although 53,229 names were removed from the draft list during the verification process, the inclusion of new applications has resulted in a net increase of 15,11,292 voters in the final count.

The draft electoral roll released on December 23 had recorded 2,54,42,352 voters. During the revision process, around 24.08 lakh names were initially excluded. Authorities clarified that the deletions largely involved deceased persons, individuals who had acquired foreign citizenship, and other ineligible entries.

When compared with the October 2025 electoral roll selected for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the newly finalised list shows a reduction of about 8.9 lakh voters. Similarly, in comparison with the voters’ list used for the local body elections held in December, there is a decline of nearly 16 lakh voters after the SIR exercise.

The demographic breakup of the electorate highlights 1,31,26,048 male voters, 1,38,27,319 female voters, and 277 transgender voters. The updated roll also includes 2,23,558 overseas voters. Notably, 4,24,518 newly registered voters have been added, reflecting continued efforts to expand voter enrolment.

Election officials stated that the final list was prepared after inviting objections and claims on the draft roll and conducting mandatory hearing procedures. Each application and complaint was examined as per statutory guidelines before the list was finalised.

The publication of the revised electoral roll is considered a key administrative step ahead of upcoming elections in the State. Authorities have urged citizens to verify their details in the final roll and report discrepancies, if any, through official channels.

With the updated list coming into effect today, Kerala’s electorate now stands at over 2.69 crore, marking an important milestone in ensuring an accurate and transparent voter database for future democratic exercises.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman