SIR form deadline Dec 4, not Nov 26: Kerala chief electoral officer

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar on Sunday said that the deadline for completing the distribution, collection, and digitisation of forms for the SIR of the electoral roll is December 4, as stipulated by the EC, and not November 26.

At the same time, Kelkar said it is possible to complete the process a few days ahead of schedule, which would provide extra time to trace any voters who may have been left out during the Special Intensive Revision.

Kelkar added that in many areas, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have already completed the distribution and collection of forms and would soon finish the digitisation process.

He further said that camps have been set up in several locations where people can submit their forms directly for digitisation.

"Through such a collective process, I am confident we can finish the work before the stipulated date of December 4," Kelkar told reporters at a digitisation camp here.

"This will give us time to focus on any voters who may have been left out and include them in the list," he added.

Kelkar noted that while it is not mandatory to finish the process by November 26, each district has the flexibility to set its own timeline for completing the work.

For overseas voters, a call centre and email ID have been set up, and they can also authorise someone else to submit the forms on their behalf, Kelkar said.

After the digitisation process is complete, a draft electoral roll will be published on December 9, allowing citizens to raise claims and objections, he added.