Thiruvananthapuram, 05 August (H.S.):

Eligible voters have until Wednesday to enrol their names in the electoral rolls being prepared for the upcoming by-elections to 38 local self-government wards across Kerala, the State Election Commission (SEC) said.

Those who have completed 18 years of age on or before January 1, 2026, are eligible to apply for inclusion in the voters' list. Applications can be submitted online through the State Election Commission's official website.

The final electoral rolls for the by-elections will be published on August 19. The draft rolls, released on July 21, contain a total of 3,06,947 voters, including 1,57,616 women, 1,49,327 men and four transgender voters.

The draft electoral rolls are available for verification at the respective local self-government institutions as well as taluk and village offices. They can also be checked through the SEC website. Eligible voters whose names are missing from the draft rolls have been advised to submit their applications within the stipulated deadline.

The Election Commission will set up 385 polling stations across the 38 wards where the by-elections are scheduled to be held.

The polls will cover wards in 12 districts, with Kollam and Alappuzha being the only districts without by-elections in this round.

The vacancies include two corporation wards in Ernakulam and Kozhikode, and three municipality wards located in Thrissur, Palakkad and Kannur.

By-elections will also be conducted in three district panchayat wards in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Palakkad districts. In addition, voters will elect representatives to seven block panchayat wards and 23 grama panchayat wards across the State.

The electoral roll revision is being undertaken ahead of the bypoll process to ensure all eligible residents in the respective wards have an opportunity to participate in the elections.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman