The fresh extension pushes key deadlines by a week, providing additional time for completing the crucial enumeration process.
Published Dec 06, 2025 | 10:34 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 06, 2025 | 10:34 AM
ECI extends Kerala’s voter roll revision. (iStock)
Synopsis: The Court had permitted the Kerala government to submit a detailed request to the ECI explaining why the deadline for enumeration form submission needed to be extended “by about a week or so,” and directed the Commission to consider it “objectively and sympathetically.”
In a late-night development on Friday, 5 December, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has once again revised the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala, following a directive from the Supreme Court.
The fresh extension pushes key deadlines by a week, providing additional time for completing the crucial enumeration process.
The move comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s order dated 2 December 2025 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1133/2025, filed by IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty.
The Court had permitted the Kerala government to submit a detailed request to the ECI explaining why the deadline for enumeration form submission needed to be extended “by about a week or so,” and directed the Commission to consider it “objectively and sympathetically.”
Acting on the Court’s observation, the Kerala government sent a formal proposal to the Commission on 3 December, citing challenges linked to the ongoing local body (LSGI) elections.
According to the government, political party workers—traditionally the backbone of field-level electoral roll assistance—were heavily engaged in election duties and thus unable to fully participate in SIR-related activities.
The ECI subsequently held a meeting with the Kerala Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to assess the situation.
During the meeting, the CEO informed the Commission that over 95 percent of enumeration forms had already been digitized, with full digitization expected to be completed before 11 December.
He further noted that while the draft electoral roll was scheduled for publication on 16 December, citizens would still have the opportunity to file claims and objections until 15 January 2026 regarding any wrongful additions or omissions.
BLO–BLA meetings, which review absent, shifted, dead, and duplicate entries, are also in progress and set to conclude by 7 December.
Despite the substantial progress, the Chief Secretary reiterated the state’s request for an additional week to ensure that political parties could adequately participate in the enumeration phase once LSGI polling activities settled.
Taking all submissions into account, the Election Commission agreed to extend the SIR schedule by one week.
This marks the second revision in recent weeks.
Earlier, on 30 November, the ECI had already updated the schedule for states including Kerala and Tamil Nadu, shifting the enumeration deadline to 11 December, draft roll publication to 16 December, and final roll publication to 14 February.
Those changes themselves were a departure from the original dates of 9 December for the draft roll and 7 February for the final roll.
With the latest extension, officials from Chief Electoral Officer-Kerala said,
the Commission aims to balance administrative preparedness, political participation, and the Supreme Court’s directive, while ensuring a more accurate and inclusive electoral roll ahead of the 2026 elections.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
