Thiruvananthapuram: More than 25 lakh voters in Kerala could be left out of the draft electoral roll as the state completes the final phase of the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists, triggering political concern and fresh assurances from election officials.
According to officials overseeing the exercise, a total of about 25.01 lakh names have been marked as untraced during the door to door verification process. This accounts for nearly one tenth of the total electorate in the state.
The data shows that around 6.44 lakh voters were identified as deceased during the survey. Another 7.11 lakh people could not be traced at their registered addresses despite repeated visits by survey teams. About 1.93 lakh voters refused to submit or return the revision forms, while the remaining cases include voters who are believed to have permanently shifted out of their constituencies or whose details could not be verified for other reasons.
Election authorities clarified that these names will not automatically disappear from the system. The untraced list will be handed over to booth level officers for further field verification before the final voter roll is published.
Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala Ratan U Kelkar said that the Special Intensive Revision is aimed at cleaning the rolls by removing duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring that no eligible voter is unfairly excluded. He added that people whose names are missing from the draft list will be given full opportunity to raise objections and submit documents to get their names restored.
The issue has sparked strong reactions from political parties across the spectrum. Opposition parties have demanded that voters who could not be traced or who were temporarily unavailable during the survey period should still be included in the draft roll. They have also questioned the clarity of the data and called for an extension of the revision process.
The Special Intensive Revision is being conducted under the supervision of the Election Commission of India as part of a nationwide effort to update electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections. In Kerala, the process involved house to house visits, form distribution and collection, and cross checking of voter details.
Election officials said the draft electoral roll will be published shortly, after which a formal period will be opened for claims and objections. Voters who find their names missing will be able to approach election offices or booth level officers with identity and residence documents to correct the records.
The final voter list is expected to be published after completing all verifications and hearings, likely early next year. Officials have urged voters to check the draft list carefully and report any errors to ensure that every eligible citizen can exercise their right to vote.