The Election Commission of India (ECI) has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court strongly opposing the Kerala government’s petition seeking the deferment of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The ECI claims that the state’s assertion of an administrative standstill is “imaginary” and motivated only by a desire to “disrupt” the SIR process.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant is scheduled to hear the matter on Tuesday.
📜 Kerala Government’s Concern
The Kerala government had approached the Supreme Court arguing that holding the SIR simultaneously with the upcoming polls for 1200 Local Self-Government Institutions (LSGI) would create an administrative impasse:
- LSGI Election Dates: Polls are scheduled for December 9 and 11, with counting on December 13.
- Personnel Strain: The state claimed that the LSGI elections require approximately 176,000 personnel, plus 68,000 security personnel. The SIR requires an additional 25,668 personnel, putting a severe strain on the administration and potentially bringing routine work to a standstill.
💥 ECI’s Counter-Arguments
The ECI dismissed the state’s concerns as “baseless and unsustainable,” pointing out that the two processes are staggered to avoid mutual interference:
- SIR Completion: The ECI stated that the critical enumeration phase of SIR will conclude by December 11, coinciding with the polling days.
- As of November 30, 98.67% of enumeration forms had been distributed, and 81.19% digitized, indicating the process is near completion.
- Staggered Timelines: The claims and objections phase of SIR begins on December 16, after the LSGI polls are over and all 176,000 poll personnel are free. The ECI concluded, “Hence, there is no possibility of disruption of LSGI elections due to SIR.”
- Personnel Management: The ECI reiterated that district collectors have been authorized to engage only those personnel for SIR who are not assigned to local body election duties.
- Precedent: The ECI noted that the last LSGI election in Kerala in 2020 was conducted simultaneously with the Special Summary Revision, proving that overlap is not unprecedented.
🤝 State Election Commission Support
Crucially, the ECI questioned the maintainability of the plea, noting that the Kerala State Election Commission (KSEC), which is responsible for local body polls, has raised no objections to the simultaneous conduct of SIR. The KSEC confirmed this view in a separate affidavit, stating there is no report of paucity of polling staff and that adequate administrative machinery is available.