Kerala govt announces emergency steps to include all eligible voters in rolls

The Kerala government has announced a series of emergency measures to ensure that all eligible citizens are included in the electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, with the draft electoral roll published on December 23, 2025, and the period for claims and objections continuing till January 22, 2026 , officials said on Tuesday.

The decision comes amid concerns that some eligible voters may be left out due to documentation gaps or delays in the K-SMART system, prompting the state to emphasise urgent action to prevent disenfranchisement before the claims and objections window closes. The K-SMART system is a digital platform of the Kerala government used for issuing and managing local body certificates and services online. K-SMART help desks will also be set up at special camps.

District Collectors have been instructed to act on a war footing to issue necessary documents to citizens lacking adequate records. No fees will be charged during this period, and any existing charges will be waived. They have also been directed to establish local help desks and hearing centres with sufficient infrastructure, volunteers, and hearing officers to assist the public.

All help desks will offer facilities for online submission of applications , and the IT Department has been instructed to reduce service charges at Akshaya Centres.

Officials said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) must be appointed within two days at polling stations where posts are vacant. BLOs are responsible for verifying voter information at the household level, assisting citizens with applications, and reporting omissions or errors. Vacancies in Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Assistant ERO (AERO), and Additional AERO posts arising from retirements will be filled immediately. Leave preparatory to retirement will be allowed only after substitutes are appointed, and transfers of concerned officials have been prohibited during this period.

To increase voter participation, awareness campaigns will be conducted to include all eligible voters omitted from the draft roll. In cases of delays in the K-SMART system , the Local Self-Government Department has been asked to explore issuing certificates directly through panchayats. A high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary reviewed the situation and issued necessary directions to all departments concerned.

The Kerala government reiterated its commitment to protecting the voting rights of every eligible citizen and said it has consistently demanded that the SIR process cover all eligible voters. Village-level help desks have been launched to ensure no eligible voter is left out, and those omitted from the voters’ list have been urged to avail the facility.

According to Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar , the state has achieved 100 per cent digitisation of enumeration forms under the SIR process. Hearings on objections and claims began immediately after the draft roll’s publication and will continue until January 22, 2026 , allowing citizens to raise concerns regarding omissions, duplications, or errors.

With these emergency measures, the Kerala government aims to ensure that the final electoral roll is complete, accurate, and inclusive , enabling all eligible voters to exercise their democratic rights.