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Chennai, Nov 11 (IANS) The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies in the Secular Progressive Alliance on Tuesday launched a series of statewide protests against the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, alleging that the exercise was politically motivated and poses a direct threat to the democratic rights of Tamil Nadu voters. DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin declared in a strongly worded post on Twitter that “stopping SIR is our foremost duty”. He said the party was fighting the issue on both the legal and grassroots fronts, adding that the SIR was designed to “take away the right to vote that underpins democracy”. Stalin wrote, “On the one hand, there is a legal and grassroots struggle against the threat posed by the SIR. On the other hand, a war room and helpline have been started to prevent irregularities in the process that has already begun.” In all the districts, cadres of the DMK and its allies – including the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Communist Party of India (CPI), and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) – took to the streets carrying placards, raising slogans and urging the public to “protect democracy by opposing the SIR”. Party officials alleged that the amendment process could be misused to delete or manipulate genuine voter entries, especially in opposition strongholds. Demonstrations were held in front of taluk offices, municipal buildings and collectorates, with speakers calling on the Election Commission to “stop the process until transparency and fair process is ensured”. The DMK has also formed district-level monitoring teams to collect complaints from the public and coordinate with legal cells to file representations before the Election Commission. The party leadership reiterated that the ruling coalition will continue legal measures and public campaigns until the ECI withdraws or reforms the amendment process. Stalin said, “Our activists of the Secular Progressive Alliance today took to the streets carrying placards and raising slogans to protest against this grave threat. Let us continue our efforts and protect the right of our people to vote.” Tuesday’s coordinated demonstrations marked the first major statewide mobilization by the DMK and its allies ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, signaling that the dispute over the voter list amendment could become a central political issue in the coming months. –IANS AL/VD