Stalin opposes SIR in TN, calls all-party meet on Nov 2

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday attacked the Election Commission (EC) for conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state, saying his government would resist “disenfranchisement” and “defeat vote theft”.

In a social media post, Stalin said following the ECI’s announcement of the SIR in 12 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, discussions were held with alliance partners — the Congress and the Left. Based on the discussions, an all-party meeting will be convened on November 2 to decide the next course of action.

“To carry out the SIR just months before the Assembly elections (due in May 2026 in Tamil Nadu), and especially during the monsoon months of November and December, brings serious practical difficulties. Conducting the SIR in a hasty and opaque manner is nothing but a conspiracy by the ECI to rob citizens of their rights and help the BJP. In Bihar, large numbers of women, minorities and people from SC and ST communities were removed from the electoral rolls, and the absence of transparency has fuelled serious suspicion in the public mind,” the Chief Minister alleged in his post.

He added, “The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. Tamil Nadu will fight against any attempt to murder it — and Tamil Nadu will win.”

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, earlier in the day, effected large-scale transfers of 67 IAS and 460 West Bengal Civil Service (Executive) officers, just hours before the announcement of the all-India SIR schedule by the poll body.

Banerjee has also been openly criticising the SIR in her state, which, like Tamil Nadu, is scheduled to go to polls in May 2026.