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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on October 27, said Tamil Nadu would fight any attempt to disenfranchise voters, slamming the Election Commission of India's (ECI) decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls just months ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
Calling the move hasty and opaque, Stalin alleged that ECI’s decision to conduct the SIR during monsoon months of November and December would cause major logistical hurdles.
“The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. Tamil Nadu will fight against any attempt to murder it, and Tamil Nadu will win,” Stalin said in a social media post.
He also said that a similar revision in Bihar had led to large scale deletion of voters among Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and among women, fuelling suspicion about the transparency of the process.
The second phase of SIR will begin in 12 states and Union Territories (UTs) from October 28, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said in a press meet.
UTs Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Puducherry, and states Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will be covered in the second phase.
Nearly 51 crore voters will be covered as part of the SIR and the final voters’ list will be published by February 7, 2026, the ECI said.
CM MK Stalin also said an all-party meeting would be convened on November 2 in Chennai to decide the next course of action.
Earlier, he chaired a meeting with party allies at the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) headquarters, Anna Arivalayam.
Alliance party leaders such as Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko, Communist Party of India (CPI) state president Veerapandian, Senior Congress leader KV Thangkabalu, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi MP Ravi Kumar also participated.
Opposition backs ECI move
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) organisational secretary D Jayakumar said the party wholeheartedly welcomed the ECI’s decision, describing it as an administrative process that strengthens democracy.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Nainar Nagenthran also defended the ECI, accusing Stalin of politicising a standard administrative process.
“From the Chief Electoral Officer to district officials, everyone involved in this process comes under the Tamil Nadu government. Is the DMK doubting the integrity of its own officers?” he asked.
He also alleged that Stalin was opposing the SIR to find excuses to justify a defeat in the 2026 polls.
(With IANS inputs)