Tamil Nadu: Dravidian rivals take contrasting positions on SIR
DMK organisation secretary RS Bharathi urged the ECI to postpone the SIR, calling the decision ‘hasty and ill-timed’.
Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik chairing the all-party meeting to discuss SIR at the State Secretariat on Wednesday
CHENNAI: The ruling DMK and principal opposition AIADMK on Wednesday took opposing positions on the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to launch the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
Both parties expressed contrasting views during a meeting chaired by Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik on Wednesday with recognised political parties at the State Secretariat to discuss the implementation of SIR.
DMK organisation secretary RS Bharathi urged the ECI to postpone the SIR, calling the decision ‘hasty and ill-timed’.
Speaking after a meeting with Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik at the Secretariat, Bharathi said the process should be deferred as the northeast monsoon was active and heavy rainfall was forecast across the State.
“During this period, many people leave for their native places for the Christmas and Pongal holidays. When enumerators visit, they may mark ‘door locked’, which could result in genuine voters being left out,” he said.
He alleged that the timing was politically motivated and compared it to the deletion of 65 lakh voters in Bihar. “If the Election Commission values the opinion of Tamil Nadu’s political parties, it should postpone the SIR. None of the parties has welcomed this move wholeheartedly,” Bharathi said.
However, AIADMK organising secretary and former minister D Jayakumar welcomed the Commission’s decision, saying voter roll updates were essential to ensure transparency and accuracy. He said the DMK’s objections were misplaced and politically driven.
“Summary and intensive revisions are conducted every year. It is necessary to remove the names of deceased voters, those who have migrated permanently or are registered in multiple locations. Our random checks revealed hundreds of such cases. The ECI is only doing its duty,” Jayakumar said.
He added that the AIADMK had repeatedly urged the ECI to clean up voter rolls and that timely revision was crucial to prevent malpractice.
“Instead of questioning the intent of the Election Commission, the ruling party should cooperate to ensure a free and fair election,” he said.
