AIADMK leader Palaniswami alleges DMK will stage drama over voter deletions

The Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls has resulted in the deletion of over 97 lakh names, significantly reducing the state’s voter list and triggering political reactions from both the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK. The deletions included voters who had migrated, died, or were listed at multiple locations. This brings the state’s electorate down from 6.41 crore to approximately 5.43 crore. Officials have clarified that those removed can still be reinstated if they submit Form‑6 or objections with the required identity documents before the final list is published in early 2026.

AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami welcomed the roll revision, claiming that most deleted entries were bogus and that the SIR validated his party’s long-standing demand to clean up the list. He alleged that Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and the DMK were preparing to stage dramas, falsely claiming that genuine votes were lost. Palaniswami urged citizens omitted from the draft list to file Form‑6 with the required proof and asked AIADMK booth-level agents to assist voters. He also instructed party members to compare draft and old lists booth-wise to ensure deletions were valid and to escalate complaints where they were not.

The DMK protested the scale and timing of the SIR exercise, arguing it could disenfranchise legitimate voters. Party leaders, including R.S. Bharathi and Udhayanidhi Stalin, stated they would help eligible voters file objections or re-enrolment applications and criticized the tight timeframe for the SIR process. Other regional political figures expressed concerns about the political impact and fairness of the deletions.

Election officials emphasized that deletions were the result of thorough door-to-door verification and no voter was removed without due process. The final electoral rolls will be published after the claims and objections period. Both AIADMK and DMK are mobilizing supporters to ensure voters are correctly included, framing the issue to support their strategies ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.