Kerala CM Orders Urgent Facilitation of Documents for Eligible Voters Ahead of SIR Hearings

 Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | January 6, 2026

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed all district collectors to work on a “war footing” to ensure eligible voters excluded from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) draft list receive the necessary documents to exercise their voting rights. SIR hearings began across polling booths in the state on Tuesday, with over 1.3 lakh voters already issued notices due to discrepancies in their documents. So far, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have prepared a total of 1.87 million notices, which will be issued in the coming days.

The SIR draft list, published on December 23, revealed that out of 27.8 million voters who submitted forms during enumeration, 2.408 million were excluded, while another 1.932 million remain “in limbo,” unable to be linked to the 2002 electoral roll. Kerala’s voter count for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections stood at 27.7 million. The CM’s office stated that district collectors have been instructed to establish well-equipped hearing centres at all necessary locations to assist voters, with volunteers and adequate hearing officers in place.

Facilities will also allow voters to submit forms online. Any missing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) must be appointed within two days, and retiring EROs, AEROs, and additional AEROs are to be replaced promptly. For voters facing delays in accessing documents through the K-SMART portal, officials said the required records can also be obtained directly from grama panchayats.

The CM emphasized that the government’s top priority is to safeguard voting rights and make the SIR process fully inclusive for all eligible citizens.