Chidambaram accuses ECI of misusing powers amid voter addition row in Tamil Nadu; poll body rejects allegations

Amid the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday raised concerns about the alleged addition of 6.5 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu under the pretext of being “permanently migrated.”

He called it both an insult to migrant workers and a serious infringement on the rights of Tamil Nadu’s electorate to freely choose its government.

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In a post on social media platform X, Chidambaram remarked that the SIR exercise was becoming “curiouser and curiouser.” While 65 lakh voters in Bihar reportedly face disenfranchisement, reports of lakhs being added to Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls have raised alarms, he said, calling the move “patently illegal.”

“Labeling them as ‘permanently migrated’ is an insult to migrant workers and a gross interference in the democratic rights of Tamil Nadu’s voters. Why shouldn’t a migrant worker return to Bihar (or his/her home state) to vote in the state assembly election, as they usually do,” Chidambaram asked.

He cited the example of lakhs of migrant labourers from Bihar who return to the state during festivals such as Chhath Puja.

“A person must have a fixed and permanent legal home to be enrolled as a voter. Migrant workers already have such homes in Bihar or other states. How can they be registered as voters in Tamil Nadu?” he further questioned.

Taking strong exception to the classification of such individuals as “permanently migrated,” the Congress leader argued that if a migrant worker’s family resides permanently in Bihar, the individual cannot simultaneously be considered a Tamil Nadu voter.

He went on to accuse the Election Commission of India (ECI) of abusing its authority and attempting to alter the electoral composition of states. “This misuse of power must be challenged both politically and legally,” he asserted.

Chidambaram’s sharp criticism comes at a time when the Opposition has alleged that 65 lakh voters in Bihar face potential exclusion from electoral rolls, while ruling parties in Tamil Nadu — the DMK and Congress — have raised concerns over the inclusion of migrant workers from Bihar in the state’s voter lists.

In response, the ECI rejected Chidambaram’s allegations, calling them “misleading and baseless.”

In an official statement, the commission said, “There is no need for political leaders to spread false information about the ongoing SIR exercise being conducted nationwide. It has come to the notice of the ECI that such misinformation is being deliberately circulated to obstruct the process.”

The ECI further clarified that the SIR exercise has not been initiated in Tamil Nadu. However, it emphasized that a person originally from Bihar but residing in Chennai is entitled to voter registration there.

“Similarly, a person originally from Bihar but ordinarily residing in Chennai is entitled to be registered as an elector in Chennai,” the commission stated, citing Section 20 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which defines the term “Ordinary Resident.”