Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution voicing strong opposition to the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to avoid any move that could curtail citizens’ voting rights. Both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF supported the resolution.
The resolution raised objections to the timing of the exercise, the decision to use the 2002 electoral rolls as the base document, and the stringent voter eligibility requirements. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned that these conditions could disproportionately affect minority communities, women, poor families, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Non-Resident Indians.
The Assembly criticized the move to conduct SIR before the 2025 local body elections and the 2026 Assembly polls, calling it “ill-intentioned,” and described reliance on the 2002 rolls as “unscientific.” Drawing parallels with the SIR in Bihar, which it termed “politics of expulsion,” the resolution cautioned that the exercise could be a backdoor route to implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Lawmakers also questioned the voter eligibility criteria, which require individuals born after 1987 to provide proof of citizenship for one parent, and those born after 2003 to produce proof for both parents. Such conditions, the resolution argued, undermine the principle of adult suffrage and risk disenfranchising voters unable to furnish documents.
The Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, Rathan U. Kelkar, has already urged the ECI to defer the SIR, citing logistical difficulties as officials preparing for the local body elections would also be tasked with supervising the revision. Political parties in the state had similarly called for postponement, recommending the use of updated rolls and acceptance of ration cards as valid ID proof. The ECI’s response to Kelkar’s recommendation is awaited.
The Assembly further warned that the SIR could be exploited by groups attempting to revive the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which introduces religion as a factor in citizenship, thereby undermining democratic principles.
The resolution stressed that while updating electoral rolls is necessary, the process must not compromise transparency, fairness, or the rights of vulnerable communities.
The ECI has announced plans for a pan-India SIR with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date, beginning progressively after the conclusion of the Bihar exercise on September 30.