Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urges President to act against Chief Election Commissioner over voter deletions

CHENNAI — DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has urged President Droupadi Murmu to initiate parliamentary and judicial action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the deletion of 97 lakh voters in the state.

In a memorandum dated October 26, the DMK leadership stated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls led to the removal of a large volume of genuine electors. According to the memorandum, the Chief Election Commissioner pursued unilateral and unconstitutional measures by overriding the perspectives of the remaining two election commissioners.

The political confrontation centres on the integrity of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, where opposition parties have raised intense objections over administrative roll revisions.

To address the dispute, Stalin requested that the President exercise constitutional avenues, including a reference to the Supreme Court under Article 143 to examine the legal validity of deleting 97 lakh electors during the revision exercise. He further sought a reference to Parliament under Article 86(2) of the Constitution to begin necessary proceedings against the CEC.

Additionally, the DMK urged that the Election Commission of India be directed to discard the post-revision electoral rolls for any upcoming elections or by-elections and reinstate the pre-revision rolls.

The memorandum was transmitted via email after a formal meeting appointment for a DMK delegation with the President was not secured by Wednesday.