Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 27 (IANS) Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and MLA Sunny Joseph on Monday lashed out at the State Election Commission, alleging that the hasty decision to conduct the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls across Kerala was “politically motivated and undemocratic”.

Joseph said the move to implement SIR without any discussion or consultation was suspicious and ill-timed, especially when preparations for the local body elections were already under way.

“The decision has been taken in haste and with ulterior motives. The Election Commission must immediately correct this mistake. Conducting SIR in the midst of election preparations is senseless,” he said.

Joseph pointed out that the Congress had earlier urged that the SIR exercise be deferred until after the completion of the local polls.

“The Chief Electoral Officer, after considering the genuine concerns raised by the Opposition, had written to the Central Election Commission recommending a delay. But the Commission ignored that advice entirely,” he said.

Describing the move as a denial of the citizens’ democratic right to vote, he said the Congress had only demanded that ineligible names be removed and eligible voters added to the existing rolls.

“Instead, the decision to base the revision on the 2002 voters’ list defies logic,” he remarked.

He questioned the rationale behind forcing voters who had registered over the past 23 years to undergo the same process again. “Under what criteria or standards has this harsh instruction been issued?” he asked, warning that the exercise could lead to widespread confusion and disenfranchisement.

The KPCC president said the Congress would continue to oppose any attempt to tamper with the electoral process for political advantage.

“We are committed to safeguarding the integrity of Kerala’s democratic system,” he asserted.

Earlier in the day in Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that the exercise will be implemented in 12 states, including Kerala.

The process will begin on Tuesday in these states.

In regions where SIR is being carried out, the existing voters’ list will be frozen, starting Monday.

Apart from Kerala, the SIR will be conducted in Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, as well as in the Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands — making a total of 12 regions covered in the first phase of the nationwide exercise.

According to the schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on December 9.

The voter list revision process in Kerala and other participating states will take place between November 4 and December 4.

The final electoral rolls will be released on February 7.

Incidentally, this move has come at a time when Kerala goes to the local body polls in a few weeks from now and the Assembly polls are scheduled for April/May next year.

–IANS

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