Kerala's voter list clean-up draws heat before 2026 polls
Kerala's big push to update its voter list—just ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections—is getting a lot of attention.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has meant heavy workloads for local officers and nearly two million voters getting notices about their registration.
Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar says it's all about keeping the rolls accurate, even though there have been tough moments, including deaths of BLOs during the process and no extensions allowed because of national election deadlines.
What went wrong—and why it matters
The process hit bumps early on with missing local agents and tech headaches for field workers, but support camps helped smooth things out.
Most notices went out because forms were incomplete, so extra verification was needed.
Even Kelkar himself got a notice! He says this shows the process is fair for everyone, and insists that making sure every eligible person can vote is worth the hassle.