File picture of a Booth Level Officer (BLO) checking the voters list at a help desk in Tripunithura, Ernakulam
| Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat
The Election Commission of India (EC) in the Supreme Court conveyed a sense of confidence in carrying off the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the midst of local body elections in the State, saying there is “no problem” whatsoever and over 90% enumeration forms have already been distributed.
Appearing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday (November 26, 2025), the EC, represented by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, submitted that the “Election Commission and the Kerala State Election Commission are collaborating with officials on the ground and District Collectors in Kerala. They are confident. Ninety per cent of the enumeration have been distributed and 70%, which have been submitted back, have been digitised”.
Supreme Court hearing on SIR LIVE – November 26, 2025
The SIR process is scheduled from November 4 to December 4. The Kerala State Election Commission had decided to conduct the local body elections in the State on December 9 and December 11.
The State government, in a petition filed through advocate C.K. Sasi, had pointed out that the simultaneous conduct of the SIR and elections would be a “near impossibility”.
“SIR is a huge exercise requiring deployment of 1,76,000 personnel from government and quasi-governmental services for election-related duties, and further 68,000 police and other security personnel. SIR is also a comprehensive process with a cumbersome procedure,” it had submitted.
The Communist Party of India (CPI), a partner in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, had separately moved the apex court seeking not only the deferment of the SIR but also a judicial direction to quash the revision process, which had spread to 12 States and Union Territories after Bihar.
On Wednesday, the EC denied the Kerala government’s version of human resources crunch, saying “different people have been allotted Booth Level Officer duties from those deployed in the local self government institutions (LSGI) elections”.
The EC said, if need be, the State Election Commission would allocate more people as BLOs in Kerala.
Tamil Nadu argued that EC had given “unrealistic timelines” to complete the SIR process in the State. There was also the forecast of a cyclone.
One of the petitioners submitted that the EC had only digitised 50% enumeration forms in the past 22 days in Tamil Nadu, and there were only eight days left before the end of enumeration stage on December 4.
Mr. Dwivedi assuaged fears by noting that once the enumerations were signed and submitted by citizens, it would be processed on time by the EC machinery.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for West Bengal and Kerala, however, said what was happening on the ground was very different from what was presented in court.
Mr. Dwivedi said in States like West Bengal, political parties opposing SIR were deliberately hampering the distribution of enumeration forms.
Advocates Prashant Bhushan and Neha Rathi submitted that BLOs were taking their own lives, unable to cope with the workload.
Mr. Dwivedi countered that such an allegation was not part of any record filed by Mr. Bhushan’s client, the Association of Democratic Reforms, in the apex court.
Published – November 26, 2025 02:41 pm IST
