RS Bharathi petitions TN EC

R. S. Bharathi, the Organisation Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), on Monday met the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu and submitted a formal representation to the Election Commission of India (ECI), urging the deferment of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The SIR exercise, which the ECI has directed to be undertaken across 12 states and Union Territories following its order of 27 October 2025, is described by Bharathi as “impractical, inadequately planned and fraught with risks that could disenfranchise large numbers of voters”. While the DMK supports periodic and thorough revision of electoral registers to ensure accuracy, Bharathi contended that the current SIR suffers from “severe procedural lapses”. Among his concerns, he listed: widespread confusion among voters over required photographs, unclear guidelines for married women’s documentation status, lack of clarity about names deleted in the 2024-25 revision, and difficulties tracing names in older voter lists (2002/2005) which often lack street names or precise identifying details. He also pointed out practical ground‐level problems: inadequate training for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), shortage of enumeration forms, delays in starting distribution in several districts, and a lack of availability of Form 6 and Form 7 (for new enrolments and objections). Some polling station BLO posts, he claimed, had remained vacant for months. Bharathi warned that distributing forms without simultaneously collecting them would create “severe bottlenecks”, particularly in households where both spouses are employed. He argued it would be impossible to complete the digitisation and upload of voter details by the December 7 deadline unless a 24/7 system is put in place. He also highlighted contradictions in the ECI’s order—specifically the fact that the directive says no documents are required during enumeration but that