More than 24 lakh voters have been left out of Kerala’s draft electoral roll published following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted by the Election Commission of India. The revised draft list, released on December 23, marks a significant reduction in the State’s registered electorate ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
As per figures shared by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala, the latest draft roll includes 2.54 crore voters, down from 2.78 crore electors listed in the previous roll issued in October 2025. This represents a decline of around 8.65% in the total number of voters.
Election officials said the exclusions were the result of a detailed house-to-house verification exercise carried out as part of the SIR process. The removed names fall under several categories. Over 6.4 lakh voters were marked as deceased, while another 6.45 lakh could not be traced at their registered addresses. Around 8.16 lakh electors were found to have permanently shifted, 1.36 lakh were identified as duplicate entries, and about 1.6 lakh names were excluded for other reasons, including non-submission of required forms.
According to the CEO’s office, the enumeration drive recorded a 91.35% response rate, with more than 2.54 crore voters submitting completed verification forms. Those who did not respond during the exercise were classified under the Absent, Shifted or Dead (ASD) category and excluded from the draft roll.
Authorities have clarified that the current list is only a draft, and eligible voters whose names are missing still have an opportunity to be reinstated. The Election Commission has opened a window for claims, objections and corrections until January 22, 2026. Voters can apply for inclusion, deletion or correction of details through prescribed forms, either online or via local election offices.
Officials have urged citizens to verify their voter status at the earliest to avoid disenfranchisement. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 21, 2026, after all claims and objections are examined.
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