Chennai, Nov 11 (IANS) The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies in the Secular Progressive Alliance on Tuesday launched a series of state-wide protests against the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise was politically motivated and posed a direct threat to the democratic rights of Tamil Nadu’s voters.

DMK President and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in a strongly worded post on X, declared that “stopping the SIR remains our foremost duty”.

He said the party was fighting the issue on both legal and ground-level fronts, asserting that the SIR was designed to “snatch away the right to vote that underpins democracy”.

“On one hand, there is a legal and ground-level struggle against the danger posed by the SIR. On the other, a war room and helpline have been launched to prevent irregularities in the process that has already begun”, Stalin wrote.

Across districts, cadres of the DMK and its allies — including the Congress, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) — took to the streets carrying placards, chanting slogans, and urging the public to “protect democracy by opposing the SIR”.

Party functionaries alleged that the revision exercise could be misused to delete or manipulate genuine voter entries, particularly in opposition strongholds.

Demonstrations were held in front of taluk offices, municipal buildings, and collectorates, with speakers calling upon the Election Commission to “halt the process until transparency and fair procedures are ensured”.

The DMK has also set up district-level monitoring teams to collect complaints from the public and coordinate with legal cells to file representations before the Election Commission.

The party leadership reiterated that the ruling alliance would continue to pursue both legal remedies and public campaigns until the ECI withdrew or rectified the revision process.

“Our cadres of the Secular Progressive Alliance have taken to the streets today carrying placards and raising slogans in protest against this grave threat. Let us continue our efforts and protect our people’s right to vote,” Stalin added.

Tuesday’s coordinated demonstrations marked the first major State-wide mobilisation by the DMK and its allies ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, signalling that the controversy over voter roll revision could become a central political issue in the months ahead.

–IANS

aal/vd