The draft voters’ list published by the State Election Commission on July 23 contains numerous errors, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged on Saturday, adding that the time limit for rectifying the errors and new enrollment should be increased to at least 30 days.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Satheesan said the names of several voters who had exercised their franchise in the last local body elections were missing in the draft rolls.

On the other hand, the names of voters who had died three or four years ago have been included in the list, he said. There are also instances where members of the same family have been divided among different wards. Some voters even have votes in three wards, he alleged. Mr. Satheesan further alleged that officials who were tasked with the collection of voter information had meddled with the list with the aid of the regional leaders of the CPI(M).

In such a situation, it is impractical to insist that new enrollment and rectification of errors should be completed in 15 days, he said. The Commission should extend the time limit to at least 30 days, he said. Section 24 of the Panchayat Raj Act says that the voters’ list should not be revised between the last date of filing nominations and the election day. Which means, there is nothing preventing enrollment up to the deadline for filing nominations, Mr. Satheesan said.

The State Election Commission had published the draft electoral rolls on July 23 ahead of its revision for the 2025 local body elections in Kerala. The Commission has given time till August 7 for the addition and removal of names and correcting mistakes.

Mr. Satheesan also reiterated the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s demand that the number of voters per polling booth should be reduced. The number of voters per booth should be revised from 1,300 to 1,100 in the panchayats and from 1,600 to 1,300 in municipalities, according to the UDF. If the commission failed to address this issue, the UDF will seek legal recourse, he said.