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Amid preparations to roll out a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country, the election officials of Kerala and Karnataka have approached the Chief Election Commission (CEC) with requests to postpone it.
In a letter sent to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi has requested a postponement in Bengaluru city until elections to five newly constituted municipal corporations under Greater Bengaluru Authority are over. As per a Supreme Court order, the Karnataka State Election Commission (SEC) has to start preparations for municipal elections by November 1.
In his letter, the SEC Karnataka commissioner has said that duties including revision of voters' list and house-to-house verification still need to be completed. The letter cited difficulty in deploying the same manpower required for local body elections for the SIR, if the latter is to be held in October to December in Bengaluru city.
A letter with a similar request to postpone SIR was sent by the Chief Electoral Officer for Kerala, U Rathan U Kelkar, to the ECI on September 21. The Kerala CEO has requested postponement of SIR considering the preparations for the local body elections in the state, expected to be held in November-December.
Kelkar made the request for postponement based on a discussion held with political parties ahead of the local body elections. According to him, officials who are appointed as returning officers of local body elections will have to oversee implementation of SIR simultaneously, which will be a difficult task. Kelkar told TNM that he has not received any reply from ECI to the request so far.
After rolling out SIR in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI), on September 10, directed Chief Electoral Officers from all states and union territories to be prepared for a nationwide SIR. As per reports, SIR will begin by October. Election officials estimate three months for the completion of SIR. In Kerala, the Assembly election is expected to be held in May 2026.