Thiruvananthapuram Jan 8 (IANS) Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rathan U. Kelkar on Thursday strongly pushed back against media reports suggesting large-scale exclusion of voters from the electoral rolls, reiterating that the Election Commission is firmly committed to conducting free and fair elections while ensuring the inclusion of every eligible citizen.
Responding through the official X handle of the Chief Electoral Officer, Kelkar cautioned sections of the media against what he described as the spread of misinformation that could create "unfounded fear" among the public amid the ongoing electoral roll revision exercise.
He stressed that inaccurate reporting had the potential to undermine public confidence in the electoral process at a critical juncture.
"The Election Commission is committed to ensuring that every eligible citizen is included in the electoral roll," the CEO said, underscoring that robust procedural safeguards were in place to prevent disenfranchisement.
He urged media organisations to exercise restraint and accuracy, noting that speculative narratives could distort the purpose of routine administrative processes mandated under election law.
Addressing concerns over deadlines for submitting enumeration forms, the CEO clarified that voters who are unable to submit their filled forms within the stipulated timeframe are not automatically excluded from the rolls.
Such electors, he said, may file Form 6 along with the prescribed declaration during the claims and objections period, which is scheduled from December 23, 2025, to January 22, 2026.
The clarification comes against the backdrop of heightened political sensitivity ahead of the Assembly elections, with reports and social media posts alleging that procedural delays, documentation gaps, or enumeration issues could lead to the deletion of names from the voters’ list.
Election officials maintain that the claims and objections window exists precisely to address such concerns and correct any omissions, errors or wrongful exclusions.
According to official figures, the draft electoral roll published on December 23 included a little over 2.54 crore voters across the state.
This comprised approximately 1.3 crore women voters, 1.23 crore men, and 280 transgender voters.
However, the publication of the draft roll also revealed that 24.08 lakh names had been removed, triggering sharp reactions and criticism from several political parties.
Election Commission officials said that since the publication of the draft roll, around 2.18 lakh applications seeking inclusion of names have already been received, reflecting active public engagement with the revision process.
--IANS
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