LDF Walks Out of Kerala Election Meet Over Voter List Count

Representatives of the Left Democratic Front walked out of an all-party meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, October 23. The meeting was called by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer D. Sajith Babu regarding the ongoing Special Summary Revision of the voter list.

Voter Demands

Senior CPI(M) leader M.V. Jayarajan and CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri led the walkout. They demanded that election officials restore the names of 24.08 lakh voters who were left out when the draft Special Intensive Revision list came out. Mr. Jayarajan stated that the Chief Electoral Officer expressed his helplessness on the matter and agreed to forward the demand to the Election Commission of India. Parties also asked for an extension on the November 2 deadline for fixing polling stations, which the officer said he would pass on to the poll panel.

Official Figures

Election officials clarified that the contested figure of 24,08,503 voters refers to the draft list published on December 23, 2025, after a house-to-house check. When the final list was published on February 21, 2026, many voters enrolled anew, bringing the drop down to 8,97,211 fewer voters compared to October 2025. The voter count stood at 2,73,54,916 on October 5, 2026, comprising 1,40,35,737 women, 1,33,18,911 men, and 268 third gender voters. The upcoming integrated draft list from the current revision will be released on November 12, with final publication set for January 4, 2027.

Context

voter lists undergo periodic revisions to add new eligible citizens, remove names of dead voters, and update addresses through specific forms. Political parties closely monitor these updates to ensure their support base remains fully registered before upcoming elections.