The Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala has resulted in the removal of nearly 9 lakh voters, bringing the state's final voter count to approximately 2.69 crore.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ratan U. Kelkar, the final electoral roll after the three-month SIR exercise stands at 2,69,53,644 electors. This includes 1,31,26,048 men, 1,38,27,319 women, and 277 transgender voters. The list is set to be formally published on February 21, 2026, with a possible minor increase of around one lakh voters by then due to ongoing processes.
Compared to the October 2025 base list of 2,78,50,855 voters, the net deletions amount to 8,97,211—nearly 9 lakh. This marks a significant cleanup of the rolls ahead of the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.
The SIR process, which involved intensive enumeration and verification, saw a draft roll published on December 23, 2025, with only 2,54,42,352 voters—a sharp initial drop of over 24 lakh from the base. Many of these were due to voters not submitting forms, shifting residences, duplicates, or other discrepancies. During the claims and objections phase, hearings addressed issues like logical discrepancies (e.g., spelling errors or address mismatches) and "grey area" cases.
Officials reported that 53,229 names were ultimately removed from the draft list after hearings, covering categories such as deceased persons, those who acquired foreign citizenship, shifted domicile, duplicate entries, and other ineligible cases. A large volume of applications—over 24 lakh Form 7 deletions and related claims—were processed overall.
The final figure reflects additions and reinstatements through the verification process, significantly reducing the scale of deletions from the draft stage. The Election Commission has emphasized that the SIR aims to ensure accurate rolls by eliminating ineligible entries while preventing the exclusion of genuine voters.
The revision has sparked political debate in the state, with some opposition parties raising concerns over the process and its timing before the Assembly polls. However, officials maintain that the exercise enhances the integrity of the electoral database.
This updated roll will serve as the basis for the forthcoming Kerala Assembly elections. Eligible voters who may have been omitted can still submit inclusion applications (Form 6) until the nomination filing deadline closes.
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