MALAPPURAM: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in Kerala ahead of the local body elections. Rajya Sabha MP Haris Beeran will present the party’s plea before the court, making the IUML the first political party in the state to legally challenge the SIR.
The petition raises concerns over the SIR notification itself, stating that conducting a radical revision of the electoral roll simultaneously with local body elections has placed unbearable pressure on field staff, including BLOs. It also alleges that the SIR is being used as a tool to remove voters, particularly non-resident electors.
IUML state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal told reporters on Monday that the revision has dragged the public into a “chronic legal tangle” and created widespread anxiety.
“We have seen how election results were tampered with in Bihar, and there are suspicions about the Election Commission ’s role there. A similar situation could arise in Kerala during the local body polls,” Thangal said.
IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty has accused the ECI of showing “unholy haste” in conducting the revision. He reiterated that except the BJP, all major political parties in India are demanding a free and democratic voters’ list.