SIR exercise: Syro-Malabar Church urges laity to cooperate as Kerala mulls legal options

Kochi, Nov 5 (IANS) A day after a delegation of Syro-Malabar Church bishops met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and received assurances of full support on issues concerning the Church and the Christian community, the Church on Wednesday issued a circular urging its members across Kerala to extend full cooperation with the state-wide voter list revision -- the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The development coincided with the state government's online all-party meeting held on Wednesday evening, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and attended by leaders from all political parties to discuss the next steps regarding the SIR exercise.

At the end of the meeting, barring the BJP, which has no MLA in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, all other political parties gave their consent to seek legal redress by challenging the Election Commission’s SIR process.

In contrast, the Syro-Malabar Church, representing a significant section of Kerala’s Christian population, called upon its parishioners to actively assist Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during their household visits and to ensure that all forms are correctly filled and submitted.

The directive, issued by Fr. James Kokkavayalil, Secretary of the Church's Public Affairs Commission and a member of the Changanassery Archdiocese, asked members enrolled after 2002 to keep documents prescribed by the Election Commission ready for verification.

Given that a large number of Church members live abroad, families in Kerala have been urged to ensure that the names of non-resident voters are included in the rolls and to share BLO contact details with them for clarifications.

The circular has been distributed through parish networks and WhatsApp groups, emphasizing that participation of every eligible member is vital to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the electoral roll, and instructing the faithful to extend all possible assistance to BLOs.

The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the three major Churches in Kerala that owe allegiance to the Pope, and is considered the most influential Catholic Church in the state.

Notably, following Tuesday's meeting in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi mentioned on his social media handle that he had a "wonderful interaction with Syro-Malabar Church leaders".

--IANS

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