Subscribe
Nine political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the principal Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), walked out of an all-party meeting on Friday, October 23, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The parties alleged irregularities in the earlier Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and said these must be addressed before the next revision.
The meeting, convened by Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik at the Secretariat in Chennai, was held to discuss the upcoming Special Summary Revision (SSR), scheduled to begin in the state on November 12. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had invited 13 recognised national and state parties. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not attend, while the BJP, AIADMK, and National People’s Party (NPP) remained in the meeting.
The parties that walked out were the TVK, DMK, Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). Their representatives recorded their objections before leaving.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Energy Resources and Law CTR Nirmal Kumar, who represented the TVK, said the party had opposed the SIR from the outset and had organised protests against it. He argued that proceeding with another revision without correcting the alleged errors in the previous exercise was unnecessary.
“The ECI should first take steps to rectify the mistakes committed in SIR before conducting SSR,” he said, reiterating the demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Nirmal Kumar also alleged that youth and women had been among those whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls. Alleging that the deletions had affected his party’s electoral prospects, he said the TVK would have won 160 seats in the Assembly election had the SIR not been conducted.
DMK leader I Paranthaman, who represented the party along with deputy organisational secretary S Austin, said they had raised concerns over the deletion of voters and demanded clarity on how and when eligible electors would be reinstated.
Paranthaman cited the deletion of around 74 lakh voters from Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls during the SIR and questioned what steps the ECI had taken to enrol those eligible to vote. He also criticised the Commission for promoting 100% voter turnout while, he alleged, making it difficult for eligible voters to get their names included in the rolls.
“The ECI should be people-friendly and facilitate the enrolment of eligible voters. While campaigning for 100% voter turnout, the Commission was simultaneously creating obstacles to the inclusion of eligible electors in the electoral rolls,” he said.
Paranthaman said the DMK had already adopted a resolution demanding the CEC’s resignation at a meeting of its MPs. He added that the party would continue its opposition to the SIR and was planning to submit a memorandum to the President on the issue.
Former VCK MLA SS Balaji questioned the ECI’s explanation for the SIR, which had been justified as a means of removing infiltrators from electoral rolls. He said the Commission had not clarified how many such people had been identified, how they were identified, or what action had been taken against them.
“Instead, the ECI is proceeding with the subsequent SSR after the SIR as though nothing had happened during the earlier exercise,” he alleged.
The AIADMK, meanwhile, called for a review of the voter deletions but chose to remain in the meeting. Former minister D Jayakumar said the party was not defending any individual, including the CEC, and wanted the Commission to address doubts about the revision process.
Jayakumar said around 97 lakh voter entries had been affected during the SIR, including those of deceased voters, people who had shifted residence, duplicate registrations, and voters listed in more than one constituency. He cited figures of 55 lakh voters removed for having shifted residence, four lakh duplicate entries, and 13 lakh voters whose names appeared on the rolls of two constituencies, and called for the deletions to be reviewed.
Describing a walkout as a democratic right, Jayakumar also criticised parties that allegedly question electronic voting machines after losing elections but praise them when they win. He said the ECI had a responsibility to clarify the figures and address concerns over the exercise.
