Kerala Congress Faces BJP Attack Over SIR After UDF’s Election Victory
In Short
Kerala’s Congress-led UDF government faces BJP criticism after the state Assembly passed a resolution seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal and questioning the voter-roll revision exercise that preceded its election victory.
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Kerala Congress Faces BJP Attack Over SIR After UDF’s Election Victory
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala has come under fire from the BJP after the state Assembly passed a resolution questioning the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The resolution has sparked a political controversy because the UDF swept to power in the Assembly elections in May, months after the voter-roll revision was completed. The BJP has accused the Congress of contradicting itself by challenging the credibility of an electoral process that preceded its victory.
The controversy has also drawn attention to remarks by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who had suggested that the SIR exercise might have benefited the party in Kerala.
Kerala Assembly Passes Resolution Against Election Commission
On Monday, the Kerala Assembly passed the resolution with 137 of its 140 members voting in its favour. The three BJP MLAs opposed the bill, which is said to be the first of its kind in the nation.
The resolution demands the removal of Chief Minister VD Satheesan, restoration of names of eligible voters whose names were deleted in the SIR exercise and changes in the appointment process of the election commissioners, the Chief Minister said.
Satheesan however said that the matter needed to be discussed as there were some concerns about the roll revision procedure, the potential exclusion of eligible citizens and the neutrality of the Election Commission.
In a post on X, he said the integrity of the electoral process was non-negotiable and described the right to vote as a foundation of democracy.
The resolution aligns with the Congress’s broader national campaign against the SIR process and its demand for action against the Chief Election Commissioner.
SIR Reduced Kerala’s Voter List By Around 8.57 Lakh
Kerala was included in the second phase of the nationwide SIR exercise announced on October 27, 2025, alongside Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry.
When the Election Commission published the final electoral roll in February, Kerala’s voter list had declined from approximately 2.78 crore to 2.69 crore, reflecting around 8.57 lakh deletions.
At the time, the Congress and the CPI(M) had largely focused their objections on the timing of the revision, which coincided with the period around local body elections, rather than challenging the exercise’s overall credibility.
The Assembly elections were held in March, with the results announced on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 of the state’s 140 seats, defeating the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Shashi Tharoor Had Suggested SIR Benefited Congress
The BJP’s criticism has gained momentum following comments made by Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor at the Stanford India Conference in May.
Tharoor said he had no objection to removing duplicate, absent, deceased or migrated voters from electoral rolls. He also suggested that the SIR exercise might have helped the Congress in Kerala by eliminating multiple registrations allegedly associated with the CPI(M).
His remarks have since become central to the political debate over the Congress’s current opposition to the process.
Earlier this month, CJP founder Abhijith Dipke alleged that voter-roll revisions contributed to the defeat of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government. Satheesan rejected the claim, maintaining that eligible voters had not been deliberately excluded and that UDF representatives had monitored electoral rolls at polling booths.
The chief minister acknowledged procedural concerns but said the party had remained vigilant throughout the exercise.
BJP Accuses Congress Of ‘Fraud Politics’
Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused the Congress and the CPI(M) of engaging in what he called “fraud politics” over the resolution. He also argued that the matter was already before the Supreme Court.
Chandrasekhar questioned whether the Congress was applying the same standards to its own electoral victory that it was using to challenge the Election Commission.
He specifically asked whether the chief minister’s personal secretary, who had served as Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer during the SIR exercise, should also face removal if the Congress believed the process was flawed.
The BJP leader also accused the Congress and CPI(M) of joining hands after the elections despite their campaign allegations that the other side had links with the BJP.
BJP Questions Legitimacy Of UDF Government
The latest controversy follows earlier BJP attacks over Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s October 3 demand for the dissolution of state Assemblies and fresh elections using ballot papers.
Chandrasekhar subsequently questioned whether Kharge’s remarks meant the Kerala Assembly itself was legitimate. He had asked Satheesan to clarify his position and if the Congress president's assertion meant the election was invalid then the Chief Minister should quit office.
BJP MLAs and Legislative party leader BB Gopakumar also raised doubts about the mandate of the Kerala government with Kharge's remarks. Senior BJP leader MT Ramesh also raised a question on the Congress' strategy of challenging the results across the country when it has accepted the results in Kerala.
Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma chimed in with allegations that the Congress had taken the election result when it came with a nod when it was in Assam, and refused it when it did not come with a nod.
The BJP’s attacks have placed the Congress in a politically difficult position. While the party continues to challenge the SIR process at the national level, its victory in Kerala came after the same exercise had been completed. The dispute has consequently turned into a wider political battle over electoral credibility, the Election Commission’s role and the legitimacy of election results.
