The draft voters’ list for elections to the local bodies in Kerala will be published on June 6, State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan said on May 24. The final list will be published on July 1, Mr. Shajahan said after a meeting convened here to discuss the summary revision of the electoral rolls for local bodies.
The voters’ list will be revised with January 1, 2024 as the qualification date. The previous summary revision was held during September and October 2023.
Upcoming byelections to local body wards to fill vacancies will be conducted using the updated list.
A special Cabinet meeting recently decided to go for delimiting the wards ahead of the 2025 local body elections. However, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had returned an Ordinance establishing the Delimitation Commission citing the model code of conduct in place. The government will now have to introduce it as a Bill in the next Assembly session.
Carrying out the summary revision of the rolls ahead of a delimitation exercise need not cause technical issues, said commission officials. Once the exercise is over, booth and ward-wise rearrangement of the voters would suffice, they said.
Mr. Shajahan has issued directions to the District Collectors with regard to the training of Electoral Registration officers and meetings of political parties ahead of the summary revision.
The State Election Commission is tasked with “the superintendence, direction and control” of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of all elections to the panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations.
Nilam Sawhney, State Election Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh, called on her Kerala counterpart A. Shajahan here on May 24. They discussed matters related to local body elections, voters’ lists, delimitation and delimitation commissions, Mr. Shajahan’s office said.
A 1984 batch IAS officer, Ms. Sawhney is a former Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.
