Reports of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) move to enroll 6.5 lakh migrant workers as voters in Tamil Nadu has triggered massive outrage in the state. Political parties including the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Congress, Naam Tamilar Katchi, and others opposed the reported move, calling it an attempt to change the electoral character and patterns of states.
This comes amid the row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, which is criticised by opposition parties as the “attack on democracy”.
Even though the reports gave rise to a major political row in the state, there is no clarity on from where the data of 6.5 lakhs emerged. The move was first reported on August 1 in the Daily Thanthi, which said that as an impact of the SIR exercise in Bihar, 65 lakh Bihari voters have been deleted from the electoral rolls. Of these, 36 lakh people have permanently migrated to southern states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, Daily Thanthi reported, adding that over 6.5 Bihari migrant workers live in Tamil Nadu and at least 3.5 lakh workers reside in Chennai.
However, neither the ECI nor any governments have made any official announcements regarding this.
‘Patently illegal’
Taking to X, veteran Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram said the ECI’s Special Intensive Exercise (SIR) is getting “curiouser and curiouser”. He added, “While 65 lakh voters are in danger of being disenfranchised in Bihar, reports of ‘adding’ 6.5 lakh persons as voters in Tamil Nadu is alarming and patently illegal.”
Chidambaram also raised a barrage of questions over the ECI’s alleged decision to add 6.5 lakh people from Bihar in the pretext of “permanent migrations”. He called it an insult to migrant workers and a gross interference in the rights of the state’s electorate to elect a government of its choice.
“Why should the migrant worker not return to Bihar (or his/her home state) to vote in the state Assembly election, as they usually do? Does not the migrant worker return to Bihar at the time of the Chhath puja festival?” he asked.
Accusing the ECI of trying to change the electoral character and patterns of states, P Chidambaram said that such abuse of power should be fought politically and legally.
Similar apprehensions were raised by other political parties too. The DMK, NTK, Viduthalai Chiruyhaigal Katchi, and Tamilaga Vazhvuramai Katchi voiced opposition to the alleged attempts to include people from other states as voters in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to the media, DMK General Secretary Duraimurugan said giving voter ID cards for guest workers in Tamil Nadu would result in a political change in the state in the future.
DMK allies have demanded that Chief Minister MK Stalin convene an all party meeting to discuss the issue and adopt a resolution.