Thiruvananthapuram: After the door-to-door verification phase of the electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) concluded on December 18, election officials in Kerala are preparing to launch a special drive to enroll new voters after the draft voter list is released on Tuesday.
Focus on new and first-time voters
Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar said that the main objective of the special enrollment drive will be to include young people who have completed the age of 18 and eligible voters whose names are not yet included in the electoral rolls. The initiative aims to ensure maximum inclusion before the upcoming election phase.
According to Kelkar, election officials have so far received 2.92 lakh applications under Form-6, which is for new voter registration. Additionally, 15,157 applications have been received under Form 6A from Indian voters living abroad. Verification and processing of all these applications will begin after the draft list is released.
24.81 Lakh Entries Marked in ASD Categories
During door-to-door verification, 100% digitization of enumeration forms was completed by 10 am on December 18, marking a significant achievement in this revision process. However, a large number of entries have been marked in the Absent, Transferred, and Dead (ASD) categories.
Kelkar stated that a total of 24.81 lakh entries—approximately 8.91 percent of the existing electorate—were found to be inaccessible. These include 6.49 lakh dead voters, 6.89 lakh disabled voters, 8.21 lakh transferred voters, 1.34 lakh duplicate entries, and 1.86 lakh cases marked for other reasons.
ASD list released, deadline for objections and claims fixed
At the request of political parties, the ASD list has already been uploaded to the Chief Electoral Officer’s website. The revised list, which will include the names of voters who have been corrected and subsequently traced, will be released on December 23rd along with the draft SIR voter list. This list has also been shared with booth-level agents of political parties to help trace missing voters.
Kelkar stated that claims and objections to the draft voter list can be filed from Tuesday until January 22, 2026. The notice and hearing process will continue until February 14th, while the final voter list will be published on February 21st.
He also stated that, as per election rules, the process of additions and deletions to the voter list can continue until the last date of nominations for the 2026 Assembly elections. For voters whose names are removed from the list, an appeal is also available to the District Electoral Officer and then to the Chief Electoral Officer.