Tamil Nadu’s ruling TVK, opposition DMK and other parties walked out of an Election Commission meeting on Friday, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the previous Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Energy Resources and Law R Nirmal Kumar echoed the demand, saying the new Special Summary Revision should not proceed until anomalies in the previous revision were rectified.
"A massive number of electors, especially youth and women, were arbitrarily struck off the voter rolls under the guise of the previous revision. The CEC must take moral responsibility for these lapses and resign immediately. Without rectifying these glaring mistakes first, conducting another summary revision is completely unacceptable," he said.
A Congress representative also confirmed the party's decision to walk out, citing a lack of trust in the EC and serious concerns over the election commissioners. The representative said the Congress would not participate in meetings chaired by the current commission leadership until the CEC resigned.
The AIADMK and the BJP, however, attended the meeting, with the AIADMK raising concerns over the deletion and shifting of nearly 97 lakh voters during the SIR process.
Addressing the media after leading the walkout, DMK Legal Wing Joint Secretary I Paranthamen alleged that the electoral revision exercise under the current Election Commission lacked credibility.
"Over 74 lakh voters were removed from the electoral rolls during the final SIR process. Where have they gone? Have they been deported or are they no longer residing in India and Tamil Nadu? The EC has provided no answer. Any exercise conducted under the current CEC is an eyewash and a futile exercise. He should either step down voluntarily or be removed constitutionally," Paranthamen claimed.
He recalled that DMK MPs had already resolved to seek the CEC's resignation and petition the President.
Senior AIADMK leader and former minister D Jayakumar explained why his party had attended the meeting despite other parties walking out.
"Whether to stage a walkout or participate is a party's democratic right. We chose to participate to place concrete facts on record," Jayakumar said.
He said EC data from the SIR exercise in Tamil Nadu showed that around 97 lakh voters had been flagged or affected, comprising 26 lakh deceased voters, 52 lakh who had shifted, four lakh duplicate entries and 13 lakh who had permanently relocated.
"We demanded that the EC thoroughly review these 97 lakh entries transparently during this revision and publicly clarify how many were legitimately verified. People have doubts about the SIR exercise, and it is the commission's foremost duty to clear them," he added.
Jayakumar urged the poll panel to reschedule special camps planned for November in view of the monsoon season.
The meeting, chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, continued with representatives of the participating parties, including the BJP.
Meanwhile, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi criticised the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government over the arrest of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) woman leader Karthika, calling it an authoritarian misuse of police power targeting female opposition figures. She argued that the administration is stifling dissent by arresting critics while sparing allies.
Kanimozhi claimed that the case against Karthika was related to a rail blockade protest during the by-election. She termed the arrest an act of political vendetta and questioned the police action.
"There were cases registered against one by-election candidate (of NTK), Karthika, for rail roko and protesting while contesting for by-polls. Yesterday, she was arrested early in the morning. They did not even give her time to change her clothes. This government has been using the police against women leaders of the Opposition parties. They have been arresting anyone who talks against them," she said.
"This arrest is a complete violation, done out of sheer malice. What kind of situation allows someone to be arrested at 5 AM for a case filed during the by-election, without even letting the woman—Karthika—change her clothes? Her husband was there too,” she added.
(With agency inputs from ANI and PTI)
