Representatives from Tamil Nadu’s ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led alliance and the Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) staged a joint walkout from an all-party meeting on Friday.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik to discuss the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, turned contentious as leaders demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The protest comes amidst escalating nationwide tension over the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) electoral roll Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Tamil Nadu Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar condemned the SIR process, alleging massive errors that impacted election outcomes and urging the ECI to ensure complete electoral fairness.
Concurrently, DMK legal wing secretary I Paranthaman raised sharp concerns over the deletion of more than 7.4 million voters across Tamil Nadu.
The walkout aligns with massive public demonstrations in New Delhi, where tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets demanding the scrapping of the SIR and the removal of the CEC.
While the ECI initiated the SSR to make annual incremental updates across 17 states and Union Territories, political parties in Tamil Nadu insist on full accountability before proceeding with further roll revisions.
