Sat Dec 27 14:07:21 UTC 2025: Summary:
The draft electoral roll in Kerala, India, published on December 23, 2025, has scattered family members across different or within the same polling stations due to adjustments made to limit voters to 1,200 per station, a measure by the Election Commission of India (EC) to reduce queues. This dispersal has made it difficult for both families and political parties to track voters. Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar has assured that steps will be taken to regroup these scattered family members under one polling station. Over 5,000 new polling stations are being added due to the voter limit, and details of voter transfers will be published.
News Article:
Kerala Electoral Roll Scatters Families, Re-Grouping Efforts Underway
Thiruvananthapuram, India – December 27, 2025 – The release of the draft electoral roll in Kerala on December 23rd has sparked concern and confusion as many families have found their members dispersed across different or within the same polling stations. This issue stems from adjustments made to adhere to an Election Commission of India (EC) directive limiting the number of voters to 1,200 per polling station, a measure intended to reduce long queues on election days.
The unintended consequence, however, has been the fragmentation of families across the electoral roll. Political parties have also voiced concerns, stating that the dispersal has complicated their efforts to analyze the draft roll and track voters.
“The current arrangement makes it incredibly difficult for us to engage effectively,” said a spokesperson for a local political party. “Families are split up, making it hard to identify and connect with voters.”
Responding to the concerns, Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar has assured the public that steps are being taken to rectify the situation. “We will identify those who have been scattered and re-serialize and regroup them as a family under one polling station,” Kelkar stated during a weekly political party meeting.
To accommodate the voter limit, the EC is adding over 5,000 new polling stations to the existing 25,468 in Kerala. Kelkar’s office is also preparing to publish details outlining which voters have been transferred between polling stations as a result of the rearrangement. The official promised the information would be easily accessible.
The move to regroup families is expected to alleviate the concerns raised by both citizens and political parties, ensuring a smoother and more accessible electoral process in the upcoming elections.
** (Published December 27, 2025, 07:37 pm IST – The Hindu)**
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