A controversial exercise – The Hindu

A.As expected, the DMK and its allies in Tamil Nadu have launched an attack against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. Their concern is that excessive haste in the exercise could lead to arbitrary deletion and addition of voters, particularly affecting minorities and members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. They believe this effectively serves as a de facto National Register of Citizens.

In a petition filed in the Supreme Court, the DMK argued that the SIR exceeded its statutory mandate by imposing a citizenship-like burden of proof on voters and violated the fundamental right of citizens to vote. His argument centers on the allegation that the unilateral ‘imposition’ of an unprecedented, resource-intensive and socially disruptive process on a State, without consultation or demonstrable administrative necessity, violates the federal structure of the Constitution, which is considered part of its fundamental structure. The party emphasized that by bypassing legal safeguards, the State was effectively reduced to a mere implementing agency for centrally determined, unilateral processes, thus posing a serious risk of disenfranchisement of large numbers of well-intentioned voters. He informed the court that the manner directed for conducting SIR was neither found in the Representation of People Act, 1950 nor in the Registration of Voters Rules, 1960.

Ever since the deletion of more than 68 lakh names from voter lists in Bihar triggered outrage from Opposition parties, the DMK and its allies were apprehensive about the practice. There were allegations that genuine voters, especially Muslims, were excluded from the list. DMK and its allies see SIR as a “trick” to deprive legitimate voters of their right to vote. Prime Minister MK Stalin emphasized the need for a genuine and transparent electoral roll, saying that sufficient time should be given to complete the process.

The DMK and its allies held an all-party meeting to discuss the issue, but it was boycotted by the AIADMK, the BJP and a few smaller groups. The DMK-led alliance announced State-wide demonstrations against SIR on 14 November and the demonstrations began on 4 November. Approximately 68,700 booth-level officers participated in the count, and each officer was tasked with screening large numbers of households in a short period of time. The party has even set up a help center with a dedicated phone number to address citizens’ concerns regarding SIR.

Former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami dismissed these concerns, asserting that any discrepancies would be the DMK’s responsibility as the entire implementation was carried out by State government employees. Echoing similar sentiments, BJP State President Nainar Nagenthran urged party members to be vigilant against what he described as a conspiracy to remove voters from the lists. However, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, headed by actor Vijay, also opposed the SIR.

Voters in Tamil Nadu seem to be increasingly confused by the contradictory positions of the DMK and its allies on the one hand and the AIADMK and its partners on the other.

Mr Stalin warned that the details sought by the ECI in the enumeration form could confuse even the more discerning sections of the electorate, potentially leading to deletions on the pretext of non-compliance with procedural requirements. To underline his view, he reminded the Chief Election Officer (CEO) of his statement regarding the obligation to add a new photo to the form. While the CEO has stated that this is optional, it remains unclear whether Electoral Registrars across the State will take a consistent approach to the issue. According to DMK and its allies, the shortened time frame of 30 days to complete the exercise would be disastrous.

DMK and its allies also believe that the inclusion of thousands of migrant workers from Hindi-speaking states will change the demographic makeup of the voter list and will only favor the BJP and its allies. They believe that inclusion is an indirect strategy used by the BJP to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu. The DMK-led alliance is now pinning its hopes on the Supreme Court.