SIR faces stiff opposition from parties in state except BJP
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All major political parties, barring the BJP, in Kerala have registered their opposition towards conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state at a meeting convened by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)-Kerala, Ratan Kelkar, here on Saturday.
The timing of holding the exercise in the coming months, when the local body elections are scheduled to be held in the state, was the major point of opposition raised by the parties, including CPM and the Congress. The recognised political parties also objected to the use of the 2002 SIR rolls as the base document for the upcoming revision.
The political parties also urged Kelkar to urge the Election Commission (EC) to put off the exercise till the 2025 local body polls are over. Inclusion of ration card as a valid identification document was another major demand raised by the political parties. Concerns were also expressed over how overseas voters, who are not residing in the state, will be verified and enrolled.
Meanwhile, the BJP was the only party that welcomed SIR and demanded its speedy implementation. While stressing that all eligible citizens should be included in the electoral roll, the BJP said voting in previous elections does not automatically confer citizenship which is one of the main eligibility criteria to be enrolled as a voter.
M V Jayarajan, who represented the CPM, questioned the logic of using the SIR roll of 2002 for the revision process. He said the move was both illegal and unconstitutional and urged the poll panel to use the 2024 Lok Sabha poll rolls instead.
This was also echoed by P C Vishnunadh and M Liju, who represented the Congress. They further pointed out the practical difficulties in holding the SIR when the state was busy with the 2025 local body elections.
The demand to use the 2024 electoral roll as the base document for SIR was raised by C P Cheriya Muhammed, state secretary of the Muslim League, K Raju of the CPI, P G Presanna Kumar of RSP, Joy Abraham of Kerala Congress and K Anandakumar of Kerala Congress (M).
B Gopalakrishnan, who represented the BJP, said use of the Malayalam term ‘kudiyettakkar’ for voters who have shifted from one location in the state to another could lead to misunderstandings and demanded its replacement with an appropriate term.
Kelkar said the concerns and views of the political parties would be conveyed to the EC soon. He added that the state-level meeting of recognised political parties was convened as part of efforts to allay concerns over SIR.