Chennai, Nov 18 (IANS) The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu has triggered a fresh political controversy, with the BJP accusing the ruling DMK of “orchestrating a conspiracy” to disrupt the Election Commission of India’s exercise.

The SIR process, which began on November 4 and is conducted once every 20 years to update electoral rolls by removing deceased, duplicate and ineligible entries, has already witnessed heated political exchanges over the past two weeks.

On Tuesday, the Federation of Revenue Department Associations announced that its members would boycott SIR-related duties from November 18, citing administrative concerns.

The decision immediately drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which alleged that the boycott was “politically motivated” and part of a “larger plot” by the ruling DMK.

BJP State spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad said the DMK had been engaged in “continuous slander” against the ECI to discredit the revision exercise, especially after the Bihar Assembly election results.

He alleged that the ruling party had added “tens of thousands of bogus voters” in constituencies across the State over the last four years and feared that the SIR would undo years of electoral manipulation.

According to Prasad, DMK functionaries have already been carrying out SIR work on the ground in many areas, replacing government-appointed staff by distributing enumeration forms door-to-door and even asking residents to collect forms from party offices.

He claimed that opposition supporters were struggling to access the forms, while DMK loyalists were being prioritised. With the Revenue Department staff now withdrawing from field work, Prasad warned that this would leave the entire SIR process in the hands of DMK cadres.

“This will create the worst possible situation where only DMK supporters get added to the rolls. The boycott is a part of a larger conspiracy to eliminate anti-DMK voters,” he alleged.

The BJP leader said government employees were bound by law to comply with ECI directives and accused the DMK government of “covertly encouraging” the boycott to pressure the Commission.

He urged the ECI to take strong action to ensure neutrality and demanded that the State government extend full cooperation to the revision exercise.

Prasad also criticised Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for “baseless attacks” on the ECI and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the 2026 Assembly election results would be a referendum on such “misleading propaganda”.

–IANS

aal/svn