Thiruvananthapuram: The final voters’ list published for the local body elections has 14.79 lakh new voters.
There are a total of 2.62 crore voters on the list, while the names of 4,34,317 people were removed, including those who have died and those without a permanent address.
The voters’ list from the Edayoor and Edappal panchayats could not be obtained as they have been closed as part of the COVID-19 protocol. The voters’ lists from these two panchayats will be examined as soon as they reopen.
The draft of the 2015 list was published last January 20. The list had the names of 2,51,58,230 voters. The final list was published based on the applications and objections received till March 16 after the publication of the draft list.
Two more opportunities will be given to add names to the voters’ list, state election commissioner V Bhaskaran said.
10.66 lakh more voters
The latest list has 10.66 lakh more voters compared to 2015 local elections. The number is also 1 lakh more than Lok Sabha elections held in 2019 — the voters’ list for the Lok Sabha elections had 2.61 crore names in the state.
Elections to be held in October
The local body elections are scheduled to be held towards the end of October.
The election commission has recommended that the voting hours, scheduled from 7 am till 5 pm, be extended by an hour till 6 pm as the voting will have to be conducted by ensuring there is social distancing. The rules will have to be amended to implement the commission’s suggestion.
The commission will hold discussions with health experts in August on how to go ahead with campaigning and voting by being in compliance with the guidelines to fight COVID-19.
7 lakh applications rejected
The state election commission rejected about 7 lakh applications during the process of preparing the final voters’ list. It had received 21,69,348 applications for inclusion on the list, and it rejected 6,89,807 applications, the commission said.
When the online facility for making an application was made available, one person had to apply many times due to some technical problems. Also, many political parties had made an application on behalf of one person, but the application had to be rejected due to lack of supporting documents and photo, the commission clarified.
The names of about 7 lakh applicants may have appeared twice, Manorama had reported on May 14.
The voters’ list
Total: 2,62,24,501
Men: 1,25,40,302
Women: 1,36,84,019
Transgenders: 180
New voters
Total: 14,79,541
Men: 6,78,147
Women: 8,01,328
Transgenders: 66
Local bodies
Gram panchayats: 941
Municipalities: 86 (excluding Mattannur)
Municipal corporations: 6
To check your name on the voters’ list, please visit: www.lsgelection.kerala.gov.in
