The Hindu Bureau
The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to call an all-party meeting to discuss the situation where the Election Commission of India (EC) has decided to go ahead with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls despite objections raised by the State.
The meeting, which will discuss the course of action that needs to be taken, will be held at 4 p.m. on November 5, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office said in a statement.
A decision has been taken to proceed with the SIR ignoring the opinions of the political parties and the Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) and the fact that the local body elections are imminent in the State. This needs to be opposed strongly, the Cabinet noted.
The “hasty” decision of the EC to expand the SIR to several States including Kerala, has generated widespread concern. The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on September 29 highlighting the danger posed by this exercise to the democratic process. The Assembly had urged the EC to withdraw from the move to hold the SIR and, in its place, should ensure a transparent revision of the electoral rolls, it said.
In its September 29 resolution, the Assembly had urged the EC not to proceed with its plans for SIR. The House expressed strong reservations over its timing, the use the 2002 rolls as the base document and the eligibility conditions set for voters.
These conditions harm the voting rights of minority communities, women, poor families, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and overseas electors, the Assembly had noted.
After the EC announced the schedule for the SIR Phase II on October 27, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Tuesday slammed the decision, calling it a “challenge to the democratic process.”
Published – October 29, 2025 06:48 pm IST
