More than 24 lakh names have been excluded from Kerala’s draft electoral roll prepared as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to data released by election authorities. The State Election Commission explained that the deletions followed an extensive verification exercise in which only 91.35 per cent of the total enumeration forms distributed across the state—amounting to over 25.44 crore forms—were returned with valid voter signatures, leaving a significant number of entries subject to removal.
The draft roll indicates that 6,49,885 voters were removed because they were reported deceased, while 14,61,769 voters were deleted after being identified as having permanently migrated out of the state. In addition, 1,36,029 individuals were found to be registered at more than one polling station; their names have been retained at a single location chosen by the voters concerned, with duplicate entries eliminated elsewhere.
Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Khelkar emphasised that the published list is only a provisional draft and not the final electoral roll. He clarified that voters whose names have been removed or incorrectly recorded will have the opportunity to seek corrections, additions or deletions during the claims and objections period, which will remain open from December 23 to January 22.
Officials said the final voter list for Kerala will be published on February 21, 2026, after all claims, objections and appeals are examined and verified. During this interim period, eligible electors have been encouraged to carefully check their details and promptly submit applications if their names are missing or contain errors, to avoid disenfranchisement.
A similar exercise in Madhya Pradesh resulted in the removal of more than 42.74 lakh voters from the draft electoral rolls released earlier this week. Out of a total electorate of over 5.74 crore voters in the state, about 5.31 crore submitted their enumeration forms during the revision process. Authorities reported that 31.51 lakh voters were marked as shifted or absent, while 8.46 lakh names were deleted due to death, and an additional 2.77 lakh entries were removed after being identified as duplicate registrations.
Meanwhile, the Special Intensive Revision in Chhattisgarh has seen strong participation in its initial phase. Of the more than 2.12 crore electors recorded as of October 27, 2025, nearly 1.85 crore voters submitted their enumeration forms by December 18, reflecting a robust response from the public. The Chief Electoral Officer attributed this progress to coordinated efforts by election officials, Booth Level Officers, volunteers and representatives of recognised political parties working across thousands of polling stations statewide.
