The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has strongly criticised the publication of Tamil Nadu’s draft electoral rolls following the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), alleging that the large-scale deletion of more than 97 lakh voters poses a serious threat to democratic rights.The DMK, along with its allies, described the exercise as hasty and warned that it could disenfranchise genuine voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharathi addressed reporters in Chennai, stressing that the party had opposed the SIR process from the start and that its impact must be rectified immediately. “Even a single genuine voter should not be excluded,” Bharathi said, expressing confidence that the DMK and its alliance partners would ensure that no eligible vote is denied.
He added that the party will pursue both legal and political avenues to restore names wrongly dropped from the rolls.
The controversial draft lists, released after intensive enumeration across the state, led to the deletion of 97.37 lakh names—classified by authorities as deceased, shifted or untraceable, and duplicate entries—as part of efforts to improve the accuracy of voter data.
Citizens now have time until mid-January to file corrections or claims for reinstatement.