CHENNAI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Tamil Nadu to extend the deadline for inclusion, deletion and correction of names in the draft electoral roll till January 28, citing the Pongal festival and the continuous holidays that have seen large numbers of people travelling to their native places.

CPM state secretary P Shanmugam, along with state committee member I Arumuga Nainar, met Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik in Chennai on Monday and pressed the demand. The Election Commission had earlier fixed January 18, 2026, as the last date for filing claims and objections to the draft rolls, with the final electoral roll scheduled for publication on February 17.

In a representation, the party said public participation in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would be severely affected as people would be away from their places of residence between January 10 and 18 due to the festival holidays. This could result in the exclusion of several lakh voters, it warned.

The CPM sought an extension of at least 10 days, up to January 28, and also demanded that special camps be organised on January 24 and 25 to facilitate voters in completing the required formalities.

Patnaik assured the delegation that the request would be forwarded to the Election Commission of India for consideration, the party said.