Kerala is stepping up its preparations for the 2026 Assembly elections. First-level checks on electronic voting machines (EVMs) began across the state. Engineers from Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) are carrying out these checks in various districts. Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar called a meeting with District Collectors and Police Chiefs to discuss election readiness. Mr. Kelkar asked political parties to ensure their representatives attend the EVM checks. "We will now start making arrangements for the conduct of the elections as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India (EC). These include meetings on security-related aspects with the police and meetings with the Central forces. We need to formulate force deployment plans and election management plans," he said. The Election Commission published draft special intensive revision (SIR) electoral rolls on December 23. Final rolls will be published on February 21. However, voters can add their names until the last date of nominations. For the 2026 elections, Kerala plans to have a little over 30,400 polling stations. The EC has set a limit of 1,200 voters per station. Mr. Kelkar's office approved 5,030 new polling stations, but based on feedback from District Collectors, the state may only need 5,003 new booths. Currently, Kerala has 25,468 polling stations. In the previous Assembly elections held on April 6, 2021, Kerala had 40,771 polling stations. This larger number was to limit 1,000 voters per booth amid COVID-19 to avoid crowding. That year, 15,730 auxiliary booths were set up. With election day approaching, Kerala is pulling out all stops to ensure a smooth and secure polling process.