LDF urges EC to review decision on Special Intensive Revision in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling LDF on Sunday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to review its decision to implement the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list in Kerala, calling the current criteria "impractical" for the state.

After a meeting of Left Democratic Front partners, front convener T P Ramakrishnan said the alliance had decided to support the decision to be taken at an all-party meeting convened by the state government on November 5 to discuss the issue.

Ramakrishnan said the LDF would continue to register its strong protest and objection to the move.

"The revision should not be implemented in the state at a time when local body elections are approaching. The Election Commission must understand how the SIR affects people. The Commission should conduct a review in this matter," he said.

Accusing the ECI of "unwanted hastiness" in implementing the revision, Ramakrishnan said a related case was still pending before the Supreme Court, yet the Commission was unwilling to wait for the verdict.

"All political parties in Kerala have already demanded that the implementation of the SIR be stopped, as local body elections are around the corner," he said.

The dates for the local body polls are yet to be announced.

Alleging bias, Ramakrishnan claimed that the ECI was acting as a "tool of the ruling BJP at the Centre". He pointed out that the implementation of the SIR had been halted in Maharashtra and Assam and questioned why Kerala had been denied the same right.

The remarks came days after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had urged all "who value democracy" to unite and oppose the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision of the voters’ list, calling it a "grave threat" to the country’s democratic foundation.

The Election Commission recently announced that the SIR would be conducted between November and February in 12 states and Union Territories—including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and West Bengal—all of which are scheduled to hold assembly elections in 2026.