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Knowing that the poor, downtrodden, and minorities will vote for the DMK in the 2026 Assembly election, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is rushing to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls to remove their names, claimed CPI state secretary M. Veerapandian in Erode on Friday. Mr. Veerapandian told reporters that during the first phase of the SIR in Bihar, over 65 lakh names were deleted from the rolls. “Despite the Tamil Nadu government’s request for more time, the ECI is hurrying the process with ulterior motives, targeting minorities by identifying and removing their names,” he charged. Mr. Veerapandian said if a similar situation arose in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin could take legal measures to uphold democracy and assert the strength of people’s power. “No one is greater than the people in a revolution, power is never permanent. We will unite people and continue the struggle,” he said. Rejecting comparisons with the politics of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, he said Tamil Nadu’s political landscape was built by leaders such as Periyar (E. V. Ramasamy) and Kamaraj, alongside democratic and Dravidian movements. “Tamil Nadu remains a land of unity,” he said. All political parties were invited to a meeting on November 2 to ensure “Tamil Nadu does not become another Bihar.” Criticising the Union Government, he said Governors were repeatedly interfering in administrative matters, enabling a system of “dual governance” that undermined democracy. “While other States receive adequate funds, Tamil Nadu is denied its fair share. If the Centre claims otherwise, it should release a white paper,” he said. Mr. Veerapandian accused Opposition parties of levelling baseless allegations to divide the DMK alliance. “People of Tamil Nadu will not support any party that aligns with the BJP,” he said. On AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s criticism, he said, “The DMK has fulfilled most of its promises. A few remain pending only because the Centre has not released the required funds.”
