Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai has strongly criticized Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s objections to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Annamalai labeled Stalin’s stance as “brazen hypocrisy” and highlighted “appalling double standards,” asserting that the Chief Minister is attempting to politicize a routine electoral procedure. He emphasized that electoral roll revisions have been a standard democratic practice for decades to ensure accuracy.
Responding to Stalin’s claims that the SIR is a “BJP-backed conspiracy” to remove genuine voters, Annamalai stated that such accusations reveal a “hollow grasp of democratic procedures.” He reminded the public that electoral roll revisions are not a new phenomenon, citing 13 such exercises conducted between 1952 and 2004. Annamalai found it “surprising” that Stalin is now finding fault with this established process.
The BJP leader further recalled instances where the DMK itself had called for similar electoral roll revisions. He pointed to the DMK’s allegations in 2016 concerning 57.43 lakh bogus voters and their 2017 demand for a statewide revision, including Aadhaar linkage and door-to-door verification. Annamalai also mentioned that before the RK Nagar by-election, Stalin had petitioned the Madras High Court to remove names of deceased or relocated voters, stressing that “the sanctity of democracy depends on the integrity of the electoral roll.” He urged the DMK to remember its past positions and avoid “selective amnesia.”
Annamalai dismissed the idea that conducting the SIR during the monsoon season benefits the BJP. He defended the Election Commission as an “independent body that ensures transparency,” suggesting that questioning its processes “betrays insecurity.” As both the DMK and BJP intensify their pre-2026 Assembly election campaigns, the dispute over voter roll revisions is escalating political divisions in Tamil Nadu, focusing attention on electoral integrity and accountability.
