Chennai: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has formally informed the Madras High Court that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roles will commence in Tamil Nadu next week. This process, aimed at updating and purifying the electoral rolls, comes amidst a politically charged petition alleging large-scale irregularities in Chennai’s T. Nagar constituency.
The announcement follows the controversial special intensive revision recently conducted in Bihar, which sparked nationwide protests over allegations of voter list manipulation. The Madras High Court has now directed the ECI to submit copies of the Supreme Court’s order pertaining to the Bihar revision, signalling close judicial oversight of the upcoming process in Tamil Nadu.
Petition Alleges Mass Deletion of AIADMK Voters in T. Nagar Constituency
The ECI’s submission was made in response to a petition filed by former AIADMK MLA Sathya Narayanan. The petition raises serious concerns about the integrity of the voter list in the T. Nagar constituency, alleging a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise a specific political party.
The petitioner claimed that the names of approximately 13,000 AIADMK supporters have been wrongfully deleted from the electoral roll. Furthermore, it was alleged that the names of deceased individuals have not been removed, and that complaint petitions sent to ECI officials have yielded no action. To highlight the discrepancy, the petition pointed out that while the constituency had 2,08,349 voters in 1998, the number had increased by only 36,656 by 2021, a figure it argues is not commensurate with the area’s population growth over three decades.
High Court Adjourns Case, Directs ECI to Address Complaints During Revision
A bench comprising Chief Justice M.M. Srivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan heard the arguments today. The petitioner had sought a court order to compel the ECI to re-verify the T. Nagar electoral roll before the 2026 assembly elections, ensuring the removal of incorrect entries and the inclusion of wrongfully deleted voters.
The Election Commission’s counsel assured the court that the complaints raised in the petition would be duly considered during the Special Intensive Revision process set to begin next week. Accepting this submission, the High Court adjourned the case and issued a specific order for the ECI to file copies of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Bihar voter list case.