BJP leader K. Annamalai has sharply criticized Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s comments regarding the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, labeling them as “brazen hypocrisy” and “appalling double standards.” Annamalai argued that the Chief Minister is attempting to politicize a standard electoral process that has been integral to India’s democratic framework for decades.
Responding to Stalin’s accusation that the SIR is a “BJP-backed conspiracy” to disenfranchise voters, Annamalai suggested that these remarks demonstrate the Chief Minister’s “hollow grasp of democratic procedures.” He pointed out that electoral roll revisions are a routine exercise, noting that 13 such revisions took place between 1952 and 2004. Annamalai expressed his surprise that Stalin is now objecting to this established procedure.
Annamalai also reminded the Chief Minister of the DMK’s own past calls for similar revisions. He cited the DMK’s 2016 allegations of 57.43 lakh bogus voters and their 2017 demand for a statewide revision, which included linking Aadhaar to voter IDs and conducting door-to-door verification. Furthermore, Annamalai recalled that before the RK Nagar bypoll, Stalin had filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking the deletion of names of deceased and relocated voters. He emphasized that “the sanctity of democracy depends on the integrity of the electoral roll” and urged the DMK to avoid “selective amnesia” by recalling its own past actions.
Dismissing the notion that conducting the SIR during the monsoon season advantages the BJP, Annamalai affirmed that the Election Commission is an independent body dedicated to ensuring transparency in elections. He commented that casting aspersions on its processes “only betrays insecurity.” As the 2026 Assembly elections draw nearer, the escalating conflict between the DMK and BJP over voter roll revisions is increasing political polarization in Tamil Nadu, intensifying the focus on electoral integrity and accountability.