SIR Deadline Extended: Relief for Kerala Voter List Revision
The Election Commission of India has announced an extension of the deadline for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list across 12 states, including Kerala. This decision brings a sigh of relief as the previous deadline for completing the process was set for December 4.
Under the revised schedule, the final date for submitting enumeration forms has been pushed to December 11. Consequently, the updated draft voter list will now be published on December 16. This extension means that the draft list will be released only after the local body elections in Kerala have concluded.
The second phase of the SIR commenced on November 4 in nine states and three Union Territories, which include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry. All these regions are slated to hold elections in 2026.
The initial phase of the SIR process involves house-to-house enumeration. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are tasked with visiting every household to distribute voter forms. Following this, they are required to conduct a second visit to collect the duly filled forms. These collected forms are then submitted to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), who is responsible for overseeing the voter list in each assembly constituency. For Kerala, the 2002 SIR rolls serve as the foundational document for this revision. Additionally, voters have the convenience of filling out these forms online.
Previously, BLOs were mandated to complete the house-to-house enumeration by December 4. This deadline has now been officially extended to December 11. Currently, 25,149 BLOs are actively engaged in SIR duties across Kerala.
Amidst these efforts, the challenges faced by BLOs have garnered significant public attention. Numerous officers have voiced complaints regarding excessively long working hours, inadequate meal breaks, and mounting pressure due to stringent deadlines. A tragic incident in Payyanur saw the family of a BLO who died by suicide attribute the cause to work-related stress. In another instance, a BLO faced assault while distributing forms. Furthermore, in Malappuram, a show-cause notice was issued to a BLO following allegations of indecent exposure in front of women waiting in a queue.