Reiterating their strong opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the DMK and its allies on Monday decided to convene an all-party meeting on November 2 to formulate a collective strategy against the exercise, alleging that the Election Commission’s (EC) actions were “not only controversial but also suspicious.”
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the ruling DMK and its allies chaired by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, in the evening.
“We suspect a conspiracy under the guise of the SIR to deprive the people of Tamil Nadu of their voting rights. In Bihar, mass deletion of voters targeting Muslims, Dalits, and women was carried out. As senior advocate Prashant Bhushan has alleged, attempts were made to remove 80,000 Muslim voters in a single constituency. Tamil Nadu will not allow such a conspiracy and will fight against it unitedly. This has to be resisted,” a joint statement issued after the meeting said.
The statement further observed that “this is an issue concerning Tamil Nadu, and all political parties must monitor it vigilantly.” It invited all parties, cutting across political lines, to participate in the November 2 meeting, assuring that the future course of action would be determined after considering their demands and suggestions.
The parties including the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), CPI(M), CPI, MDMK, and others accused the BJP-led Union Government of “systematically undermining democracy, eroding the dignity of institutions, and twisting statutory bodies to serve its political interests.”
“Particularly, the EC’s actions are not only controversial but also suspicious. The Bihar election is an example of how it conducted polls through arbitrary orders. The SIR in that state turned out to be a conspiracy to delete genuine voters,” the statement charged, adding that “even the Supreme Court’s orders were not implemented by the EC under the influence of the Union Government.”
The parties also pointed out that conducting such a massive exercise during November–December, when the northeast monsoon is active, poses significant practical difficulties. “Why is the EC adamant about refusing to accept Aadhaar cards and Family (ration) cards as proof?” the statement questioned, clarifying that the alliance was not opposed to roll revision per se, but demanded that it be done transparently and with adequate time.
Meanwhile, the principal opposition party AIADMK welcomed the SIR but insisted that it be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
“We welcome the exercise but demand that it be carried out transparently, ensuring that double entries and bogus voters are removed,” senior party leader and former minister D. Jayakumar told the media in Chennai.
BJP state president Nainar Nagendran, on the other hand, criticized the Chief Minister for opposing the SIR, alleging that the ruling party was attempting to divert attention from the government’s failures.
Unfazed by the criticism, the Election Commission has convened a meeting of all recognized political parties in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday to discuss the SIR. The meeting will be chaired by Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik.