Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday extended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala by one week, giving the state additional time to complete enumeration ahead of local body elections scheduled for December 9 and 11.

The extension follows a request from the Kerala government, submitted after the Supreme Court permitted the state to seek additional time for the enumeration phase. Earlier this week, the top court, hearing a petition by Kerala MLA PK Kunhalikutty regarding the overlap between the revision exercise and civic polls, allowed the state to approach the Commission with a proposal justifying a short extension.

Kerala submitted its request on December 3. Following this, the ECI reviewed the progress of the exercise, including the digitisation of over 95% of enumeration forms and the verification work by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Assistants (BLAs) across districts.

The state’s chief electoral officer (CEO) informed the Commission that full digitisation was expected by December 11, and that electors would have a window to file claims and objections after the draft roll’s publication. The chief secretary highlighted that political party workers were currently engaged in local self-government polls, creating a need for additional time for enumeration. The ECI accepted the request and revised the schedule accordingly.

Under the updated timetable:

• Enumeration and polling-station rationalisation will be completed by December 18.
• The draft electoral roll will be published on December 23 (earlier scheduled for December 16).
• Claims and objections can be filed between December 23 and January 22.
• The final electoral roll will be published on February 21.

The extension ensures that voters in Kerala can have their details correctly reflected on the rolls while accommodating the logistical demands posed by the local body elections.