SIR targeted SC/ST voters in 44 TN seats; 50,000 names removed in Dharapuram, alleges CJP

CHENNAI: Around 70 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu had lost their voting rights through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and names were selectively deleted in 44 constituencies that have a significant population of Scheduled Caste and tribal communities, alleged the Tamil Nadu unit of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), here on Friday.

Speaking at a protest here on Friday, Selva Karthik, CJP’s chief convenor for Tamil Nadu, added that around 50,000 voters were removed from rolls in Dharapuram constituency, where a by-election is currently under way.

Alleging that the electoral process had been marred by irregularities, the Gen Z outfit demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for greater transparency in elections. They added that the SIR exercise had resulted in denial of voting rights to eligible citizens.

Blaming CEC Gyanesh Kumar for the discrepancies in the voter roll revision process, Selva Karthik demanded his resignation, and also called upon the Election Commission to ensure that elections were conducted in a transparent manner and that no eligible citizen was denied the right to vote.

He alleged that the Centre-ruling BJP was undermining the democratic process through the electoral system and appealed to opposition parties to jointly protest against the Election Commission. He also urged opposition parties to boycott elections and instead intensify protests against the irregularities.

The protest was part of the party’s campaign seeking transparency in the electoral process and protection of voters’ rights across the country.