Chennai's political landscape is heating up over a massive revision of the voter list, with the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK locking horns over the deletion of nearly 97 lakh names. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin announced on Friday that his party would scrutinize the draft electoral rolls and assist eligible voters in getting re-enrolled.
DMK's Pledge to Assist Omitted Voters
Speaking to reporters in Tiruvarur, Udhayanidhi Stalin stated that the DMK would first examine the draft rolls published on the Election Commission's website. He clarified that gaining full clarity on the extent of deletions would take a day or two of verification. Following this analysis, the party plans to initiate efforts to help voters whose names were omitted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process get re-included in the final list.
The Deputy CM emphasized the party's commitment to ensuring that no genuine voter is left out of the democratic process. This move comes amid concerns raised by various quarters about the scale of the deletions and its potential impact on the electorate.
AIADMK's Stand: A Welcome Cleansing Exercise
In stark contrast, the principal opposition party, the AIADMK, has welcomed the deletions. Party general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami asserted that the removal of 97 lakh names validates their long-standing allegation about the existence of "bogus voters" in the state's electoral rolls.
In a social media post, Palaniswami accused the DMK of having relied on fake votes for years to "distort democratic values." He alleged that the ruling party is now attempting to create confusion around the revision process to mask its past actions.
Palaniswami urged citizens whose names are missing from the draft rolls not to panic. He directed them to apply for inclusion using Form-6 and assured assistance from the AIADMK's booth-level agents. He also instructed party functionaries to conduct booth-wise verification of the deletions and work towards ensuring all genuine voters are restored in the final electoral rolls.
Echoing the Party Line
AIADMK's organising secretary, D. Jayakumar, reinforced the party's position. He stated that the draft rolls highlight the necessity for a comprehensive cleansing of the voter list. Jayakumar praised the Election Commission of India for undertaking this exercise, framing it as a crucial step towards electoral integrity.
The divergent reactions set the stage for a significant political tussle in the lead-up to future elections. While the DMK frames the issue as one of facilitating voter enrollment, the AIADMK portrays it as a necessary correction to purge illegitimate entries. The final voter list, post the revision process, will be keenly watched by all political stakeholders in Tamil Nadu.
