Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy, asserting that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists was conducted to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible person is included.
Addressing a press conference in Kochi after reviewing preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala, Kumar said the exercise had been carried out with transparency and in accordance with constitutional provisions.
“Pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that was undertaken recently had a single and clear objective, that no eligible voter should be excluded and no ineligible person should be included,” he said.
Highlighting Kerala’s democratic legacy, the CEC said the state had long served as a model for democratic practices. He noted that village gatherings known as Nattukuttams existed more than a thousand years ago and laid the foundation for collective decision-making.
Kumar also recalled that Kerala introduced the first pilot use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the Paravoor Assembly constituency in 1982, marking an important milestone in India’s electoral management system.
Also read: CEC Gyanesh to review Kerala poll preparedness
Kerala has 140 Assembly constituencies, including 124 general seats, 14 reserved for Scheduled Castes and two reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
According to the Election Commission, the state has 2,69,53,644 voters, a figure Kumar noted was larger than the combined population of countries such as Australia, Norway and Costa Rica.
Polling will take place at 30,471 polling stations, including around 5,000 new booths, with 100 per cent webcasting to ensure transparency. No polling station will have more than 1,200 electors, he said.
Kumar added that 397 polling stations will be managed entirely by women, while over 790 model polling stations will be set up across the state.
Special facilities will be provided for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, including ground-floor polling stations, ramps, wheelchairs and priority voting.
For the first time in Kerala, coloured photographs of candidates will be displayed on electronic voting machines to help voters identify candidates clearly.
The Election Commission has also integrated more than 40 election-related applications into a single platform called ECINET, which will provide election information to voters, candidates and other stakeholders.
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