Last month, the chief electoral officer of Kerala had urged the ECI to postpone the process in the state. The state CEO had written to the ECI after meeting representatives of political parties as a precursor to commencing the SIR of the voters’ list. At the meeting, representatives of ruling and opposition parties demanded that the SIR be postponed, citing the local body elections.

Besides, the state legislative assembly had passed a unanimous resolution against SIR last month. The resolution said the Election Commission’s move has raised serious concerns that the SIR is aimed at implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) indirectly. “In what manner those who attempt to dust off the Citizenship Amendment Act will use the SIR will be a challenge faced by democracy. The EC should desist from such actions that will violate fundamental rights, and the revision of the voters’ roll should be conducted in a transparent manner,” said the resolution.

Referring to ECI’s Monday decision to roll out the SIR in Kerala, Vijayan said the decision is a challenge to the democratic process. He said that the adamant stand of the ECI that the SIR process should be implemented immediately in Kerala, even after the state CEO had sought postponement of the process, places the ECI under the shadow of suspicion.

He said that when petitions questioning the constitutional validity of SIR in Bihar are pending before the Supreme Court, the move to roll out the same process to other states cannot be seen as innocent. “It is clear that the revision of the voter list, which requires long-term preparation and consultation, is being carried out in a hasty manner only to subvert the will of the people. The Commission should desist from such decisions that affect its own credibility. Institutions like the EC should not be allowed to become puppets of the party ruling at the Centre,” he said.

Vijayan’s response to SIR in Kerala came after the DMK-governed Tamil Nadu called for an all-party meeting to debate the issue.