Thiruma says poll panel rushing ahead with SIR in TN despite litigation, calls for all-party meet

CHENNAI: Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol Thirumavalavan on Saturday cautioned that the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu could jeopardise the fairness of future Assembly elections and called on the Chief Minister to convene an all-party meeting immediately to discuss the issue.

In a statement, Thirumavalavan said the Election Commission of India (ECI) had informed the High Court that the special revision would commence in Tamil Nadu within a week. He alleged that similar exercises in Bihar had been marred by serious irregularities, including the deletion of lakhs of names, particularly those of Dalit and Muslim voters. “There are credible complaints that these sections were deliberately targeted, but the Election Commission has not provided any explanation,” he said.

The VCK leader argued that the SIR exercise was being carried out based on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which he said was beyond the poll panel’s powers. Several petitions, including one filed by VCK, are pending before the Supreme Court seeking to halt the process. “While these cases are still under hearing, the Election Commission has unilaterally announced the election schedule in Bihar. This shows that the poll panel itself is contributing to the erosion of democratic norms,” he said.

Referring to developments in Karnataka, Thirumavalavan said that over 6,000 names were deleted from the Aland constituency voters’ list without the knowledge of those affected, allegedly by a BJP candidate in collusion with election officials. “The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Karnataka government has confirmed this. Yet, the Election Commission has not responded,” he said.

Thirumavalavan urged the Chief Minister, MK Stalin, to acknowledge the seriousness of the issue and call an all-party meeting. He also demanded that the Election Commission suspend the SIR process in Tamil Nadu until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the pending petitions.