Tamil Nadu Voter War: EPS Accuses DMK Of 'Vote Theft', Stalin Hits Back

India Today

A major political showdown has erupted in Tamil Nadu over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, with allegations of foul play from all sides. The AIADMK, led by E. Palaniswami, and the BJP have accused the ruling DMK of using the exercise to wrongfully remove opposition voters, while Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has fired back, alleging a conspiracy to disenfranchise the poor. An opposition leader stated that the controversy 'is going to be a shot in the foot for the DMK at this time around because people are aware of what is happening.' The DMK and its allies have called for a statewide protest against the SIR exercise on November 11, claiming the timeline is too short and coincides with the monsoon season. The party has also moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission's directive. This has set the stage for a bitter confrontation as both Dravidian majors prepare for the crucial 2026 polls.

Transcript

00:00Moving on to Tamil Nadu. The political temperature in Tamil Nadu which heads to polls

00:04next year is heating up over the SIR exercise. AIA-DMK General Secretary E. Palani Swami or EPS

00:12has accused the ruling DMK of quietly conducting a door-to-door exercise while publicly claiming

00:19to oppose the SIR. EPS has lashed out at Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, alleging that DMK officials

00:26are attempting to remove AIA-DMK voters from the electoral rolls. The BJP has also trained its

00:32guns on the DMK, accusing them of resorting to fear-mongering to win elections. Hitting back,

00:40Stalin, who is also the DMK chief, has alleged that the AIA-DMK and the BJP are spreading a fake

00:46narrative and attempting to remove poor voters under the guise of the SIR. The Chief Minister has

00:53directed his party carder to ensure that no eligible voter is left out of the exercise.

00:59He has also announced a state-wide protest by the DMK and its allies against the SIR on November 11th.

01:07With elections due in 2026, the SIR exercise began earlier this month across Tamil Nadu.

01:44I am a man.

01:47I am a man.

01:51I am a man.

01:54He is a man.

01:57You are always a good person to arrive on your own journey.

02:01Your friends, they are asking,

02:02your friends, your friends,

02:06your parents, their friends,

02:09you are chattering in your eyes.

02:13If you have any family,

02:16you will be in contact with them.

02:19For that, the goal is for you to be able to come up with your own journey.

02:23But you should be in contact with your friend.

02:26You know, we don't have a chance.

02:30This is the words that we are asking.

02:33Our students, in the same way, have a strong spirit.

02:40Don't know what we need to say.

02:45We are all being upset with him.

02:47Don't know anything about us to do.

05:04So, while the DMK is planning its protest against SIR, it seems AIA DMK is conjuring

05:10up its own version of vote-chory accusations at the DMK.

05:14It's a very confusing situation there.

05:17It surely is because special intensive revision is going to be a talking point for this particular

05:24election.

05:25And while DMK claims that BJP and AIDMK are trying to use SIR to remove votes that are in

05:29favor of DMK and allied parties, now Eda Party Kayo Pandiswamy has come forward and

05:34he is claiming that along with the booth level BLO officers, there are like booth level

05:39agents too are also going over that these are party office bearers as well and they

05:43could actually go ahead, end the process and cause a lot of trouble and that is why he

05:47is asking the election commission to be vigil along with the public to be vigil on this matter.

05:52However, DMK and allied parties have decided to go ahead and conduct a state-wide protest

05:56on 11th of November.

05:58This is against SIR claiming that the time frame is much more shorter considering this

06:02is monsoon and it will cause a lot of issues.

06:05Right.

06:06Thank you, Pramodh, for all those details.

06:08We'll be keeping an eye on that news as the protest is planned.

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