Turnout shows rise in 2 of 3 Kerala districts where number of voters rose post SIR

Kasaragod, Kannur and Malappuram were the only districts in Kerala where the number of absolute voters showed a jump after SIR. In the rest of the 11 districts, the number of electors recorded decline

In the three districts of Kerala, where the number of absolute voters rose post the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, turnout on Thursday showed a jump in two of them while it remained stagnant in the other.

The highest rise in voters post SIR was in Malappuram district with 2.02 lakh voters. (Representative file photo)

Kasaragod, Kannur and Malappuram were the only districts in Kerala where the number of absolute voters showed a jump after SIR. In the rest of the 11 districts, the number of electors recorded a decline.

The number of voters in the draft list in October 2025 was 2,78,50,855. It dipped to 2,69,53,644 after the SIR exercise, a decline of 8.97 lakh voters. The highest decline was in Thiruvananthapuram district with 3.21 lakh followed by Ernakulam with 1.83 lakh and Kottayam with 1.12 lakh.

The highest rise in voters post SIR was in Malappuram district with 2.02 lakh voters. The increase in Kannur and Kasaragod districts was 47,242 voters and 17,895 voters respectively.

Thursday marked a 4% rise in overall turnout in the state compared to the 2021 assembly elections, a trend largely attributed to the clean-up of electoral rolls as part of the SIR. The turnout this time was 78.27%, according to the last update of the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, it still fell short of the 85% polling target set by the ECI.

The ECI figures show that of the 32 constituencies across Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod, where the number of voters rose post SIR, 27 of them recorded a rise in turnout ranging from 1% to 10%.

Of the 27 constituencies, 22 of them recorded a rise in turnout by at least 3%. The highest jump was in Vengara (10%) in Malappuram district. All constituencies in Malappuram and Kasaragod districts recorded a jump in voter participation. In Manjeshwar and Kasaragod, the only two constituencies witnessing a triangular contest in the region, the increase in polling was 4% and 9% respectively. The BJP has high stakes in both seats.

Figures indicate that the voter participation has gone up in all the 16 constituencies in Malappuram, a stronghold of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), compared to the 2021 elections. Last time, the IUML won 11 of the 12 seats it fought in the district while its ally Congress won one seat.

At the same time, the turnout has remained largely stagnant in Kannur district. Of the 11 constituencies here, turnout this time compared to 2021 remained the same in four of them while it dipped in one seat - Irikkur. Six seats recorded a marginal rise ranging from 1% to 3%. The slack in voting behaviour could be a cause of concern for the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) which treats Kannur district as its stronghold in the state. In the 2021 elections, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) won 9 of the 11 seats.