Even amid the protest by the ruling Left and the Opposition, Congress-led UDF continued, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' lists in the state on Thursday at the Raj Bhavan. The exercise was launched a day after the Cabinet decided to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the steps to oppose the initiative.
The Governor said that the revised voters' list should be total, besides being more accurate and inclusive, so as to facilitate free and fair elections, and urged the electoral officers to ensure that no eligible voter is left out in the revised voters' list, said an official statement.
The Governor further sought the support of the general public to ‘wholeheartedly support and cooperate with the SIR process to make it speedy and fault-free.’
The SIR process and procedure to the Governor was explained by Ratan U Kelkar, Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala. Sharmila C, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Krishnadasan P, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Rusi R S, Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Madhu, Electoral Registration Officer, and Benazir, Booth Level Officer, were also present there.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at a press conference, had said the decision of the EC to "hastily" implement the SIR was a matter of concern, adding that the Kerala Assembly had all agreed (unanimously passed a resolution) that this action was dangerous because it threatens the democratic process in our country. Therefore, they demanded that the SIR be cancelled (withdrawn) and that the voters' list be updated in a clear and open way (transparent manner).
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