DMK opposes SIR, says PM knew 2024 poll schedule in advance

CHENNAI: The DMK has strongly opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country, alleging that the Election Commission was functioning in favour of the BJP and compromising its neutrality.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, DMK principal secretary KN Nehru alleged that the Prime Minister had prior knowledge of the 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule, allowing him to complete campaign meetings in several Tamil Nadu constituencies before the dates were officially announced. "This clearly showed that the Election Commission failed to maintain the secrecy of the election schedule, " he said.

He said the SIR exercise, announced to be implemented across all States, had raised serious concerns over transparency and fairness. Drawing parallels with Bihar, Nehru alleged that similar efforts could be made in Tamil Nadu to disenfranchise genuine voters and include outsiders. "If the Union BJP government tries to deprive the people of Tamil Nadu of their voting rights under the guise of SIR, the State, under the Chief Minister's leadership, will stand united and resist it," he said.

Referring to reports from Bihar, he said the Election Commission had removed lakhs of names from the rolls, primarily targeting Muslims, Scheduled Castes and women. Even the Supreme Court had sought explanations from the Commission after the deletions sparked nationwide outrage, he added.

He also alleged that the Election Commission had turned into a tool of the Union government, similar to other institutions such as the CBI, RBI, CAG, and Enforcement Directorate, which, he said, had lost their autonomy under the Modi regime.