Kerala SIR: 7.61 lakh enumeration forms in ‘uncollectables’ list

With just five days remaining for the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to end, the number of voters listed as ‘untraceable’, ‘dead’ or ‘shifted’ in Kerala has risen to a little over 7.61 lakh, as per the latest updates.

Of the total 7,61,536 voters in this category, 3,41,393 are listed as ‘dead,’ 88,945 as ‘untraceable’ or ‘absent,’ while 2,79,196 are considered to have shifted permanently. There are also 44,758 voters whose names are duplicated in the list. ‘Others’ include 7,244 cases, according to the update provided by Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar on Saturday.

Such cases are referred to as ‘uncollectables,’ Mr. Kelkar said.

If the booth-level officer (BLO) finds, based on verification, that the voter is deceased, the voter is marked as ‘dead’ under the uncollectables category. If local enquiry reveals that the voter has permanently shifted, the voter is marked as ‘permanently shifted or absent,’ as appropriate.

In cases where a voter has two entries at different locations and chooses one, the other entry is classified as ‘duplicate.’ If voters explicitly state that they do not wish to accept the forms, or that they will not be returning them, the case is marked under ‘Others,’ according to Mr. Kelkar.

Enumeration forms are being distributed to a little over 2.78 crore voters in Kerala for the SIR.

Efforts on trace missing voters

Mr. Kelkar said efforts are on trace these ‘missing’ voters. The list has been provided to booth-level officers (BLO) so that they consult the booth-level agents (BLA) appointed by political parties on it.

The list will also be published alongside the draft SIR roll which will be published on December 9. If they are traced after that date, they will be added to the list using the Form 6 enrolment form.

Till Saturday morning, 99.5% of the forms have been distributed, and 85% of the filled-up forms have been returned, while 71.02% of the returned forms have been digitised, according to Mr. Kelkar.

The CEO added that after December 4, names can be added to the rolls using Form 6 till last day of the filing of nominations for the 2026 Assembly elections.