ECI's SIR exercise in Kerala to start today; to last until 7th Feb '26

Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Intensified Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll announced by the Central Election Commission will start in Kerala from Tuesday. The process will last for more than three months, from October 28 to February 7, 2026, when the final voter list will be published. The Election Commission's existing voter list in the state was frozen on Monday midnight. Now, only those who add their names to the SIR will remain voters. The SIR is being implemented nationwide based on the order issued by the Election Commission on June 6 to implement the SIR in Bihar.

If you are not on the 2002 voter list, you must prove your citizenship. Voting rights will be granted based on the voter list for the period 2002-04, when the last SIR was conducted. Last time, the SIR was conducted in Kerala in 2002. Those whose names were in the then voter list and their children can be added without submitting any documents. However, those whose names or the names of their parents are not in the 2002 list will have their voting rights restored only if they submit one of the 12 documents specified by the commission to prove that they are Indian citizens.

What to do if your name is not on the 2002 voter list:

• In Kerala, the commission has classified those whose names or parents' names are not in the 2002 voter list into three categories based on their date of birth and has specified the documents they need to submit to get the right to vote.
• Those born before July 1, 1987: Must submit a document proving their date of birth and place of birth.
• Those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004: In addition to a document proving their own date and place of birth, they must also submit a document proving the date and place of birth of either their mother or father.
• Those born after December 2, 2004: In addition to their own date and place of birth, they must also submit a document proving the date and place of birth of both their parents. If either of the voter's parents is an Indian citizen, or if a copy of the parent's visa and passport was submitted at the time of birth, they must also submit a copy of the parent's visa and passport.

Those whose names are in the 2002 electoral roll and whose parents' names are in the electoral roll must apply to get their names added to the electoral roll. However, they do not need to submit any of the 12 documents to prove citizenship along with the application. It is sufficient to provide a document proving that their name is in the 2002 electoral roll published by the commission.