The Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the timeline of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala by an additional week, taking into account the state’s two-phase local body elections scheduled for December 9 and 11. The counting of votes will be held on December 13.

In a revised order issued on December 5, the Commission announced that voters will now be able to submit their enumeration forms until December 18, instead of the earlier deadline of December 11. Following this change, the draft electoral roll will be released on December 23 (earlier December 16), while the final electoral roll will be published on February 21, 2026, postponed from February 14.

According to the Commission’s order, the decision was made “after carefully taking due note of the submission made by the Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala,” acknowledging that ongoing election activities have stretched administrative and political party resources.

Kerala’s Request and Supreme Court Intervention
The Kerala government had approached the Supreme Court seeking an extension of the SIR deadlines, citing the heavy involvement of political workers in local body election duties. The court allowed the state to formally present its case to the Election Commission, which then held discussions with Kerala’s Chief Secretary and the Chief Electoral Officer on Friday.

During the meeting, the Commission was informed that over 95% of enumeration forms had already been digitised, and the remaining process was likely to be completed by December 11. However, the state urged that political parties were unable to fully support SIR-related activities due to their ongoing campaign commitments.

In its order, the ECI noted:
“The Chief Secretary, Kerala has submitted that due to ongoing LSGI elections, the political party workers are actively involved in the election process and their services could not be effectively utilized for SIR-related activities. He requested for extension of the enumeration phase of SIR by one week.”

SIR Underway Across Multiple States
The Special Intensive Revision, introduced after its successful implementation in Bihar, is currently being conducted in nine states, including Kerala, along with three union territories. The extension comes at a critical time as Kerala prepares not only for local body elections this month but also for next year’s Assembly elections, which will coincide with polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry.