The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday refuted the Kerala government’s petition seeking a deferral of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the state’s claims of administrative difficulty are aimed solely at “disrupting” the process. The affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court, highlighted that over 98% of enumeration forms for SIR have already been distributed, and the exercise is nearing completion. The matter is scheduled to be heard by a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant on Tuesday.
“The assertion that the state administrative machinery will come to a standstill is imaginary, and the only motive is to disrupt the SIR process, which is at the stage of completion of [the] enumeration phase,” the ECI affidavit stated, responding to the Kerala government’s plea. The state had sought deferral of SIR, citing logistical and personnel constraints, as the exercise coincides with elections for 1,200 local self-government institutions (LSGI) scheduled for December 9 and 11, with counting on December 13.
ECI Affirms SIR Can Proceed Without Hindrance to Local Body Polls
The ECI clarified that the SIR enumeration phase will conclude by December 11. As of November 30, 98.67% of enumeration forms had been distributed, and 81.19% digitized. The Commission dismissed claims of administrative strain or overlap as “baseless and unsustainable,” noting that polling will end on December 13, after which the 176,000 personnel assigned for election duties will be free to assist with SIR activities beginning December 16.
The affidavit emphasized that district collectors have been directed to deploy only personnel not engaged in LSGI election duties, ensuring that both processes can proceed smoothly without disruption. The ECI further noted that overlaps between electoral rolls revision and local body elections are not unprecedented; during the 2020 Kerala LSGI elections, the Special Summary Revision was conducted alongside the polls without disruption. “Except for the enumeration phase, all pre-revision and revision activities during the 2020 special summary revision were identical to those of the current SIR exercise,” the ECI said.
According to the Kerala government, conducting both exercises simultaneously places an excessive burden on administrative machinery, citing 176,000 personnel required for LSGI elections and an additional 25,668 for SIR, alongside 68,000 security staff. The state claimed this strain could bring routine administrative work to a standstill and reserved the right to question the SIR’s validity later. However, the ECI maintained that both processes are structured in a staggered and mutually exclusive manner to ensure smooth conduct.
State Election Commission Supports Simultaneous Conduct of Polls and SIR
The Kerala State Election Commission (KSEC) backed the ECI’s stance, filing a separate affidavit confirming that adequate administrative resources are available for both exercises. “There is no report of paucity of polling staff by the District Election Officers. There is adequate administrative machinery at the command of the SEC,” the KSEC affidavit stated. The KSEC, along with the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, is coordinating closely to ensure the efficient conduct of both local body elections and SIR without any disruption.
The ECI also questioned the maintainability of the state government’s plea, stressing that the superintendence and conduct of local body elections falls under the domain of the KSEC. The Commission dismissed Kerala’s claims of administrative inconvenience as misconceived, stating that the staggered structuring of SIR and elections allows both processes to be carried out efficiently without affecting each other.
As Kerala prepares to conduct elections for 1,200 local self-government institutions, the Supreme Court hearing is expected to clarify whether the SIR exercise will continue on schedule. With the ECI and KSEC asserting that adequate administrative arrangements are in place, the Commission appears determined to proceed with the Special Intensive Revision, ensuring that the revision of electoral rolls and local body polls can run concurrently without compromising efficiency or democratic integrity.
The Supreme Court will now decide on the Kerala government’s plea, balancing the state’s administrative concerns with the ECI’s insistence that the SIR process, already near completion, must not be delayed.
