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Chennai, Nov 8 (IANS) The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) has announced a state-wide agitation in all districts of Tamil Nadu on November 11 to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In a joint statement issued by the coalition partners, the bloc accused the ECI of going ahead with the amendment in an “authoritarian and unilateral manner” despite widespread objections raised by most political parties.
The alliance claimed that the SIR exercise was “politically motivated” and “aimed at removing the names of minority and anti-BJP voters from the voter list”.
According to the statement, the ECI’s decision to impose SIR in 12 states and union territories, including Tamil Nadu, for allegedly failing to remove anomalies in the Bihar voter list was described as “undemocratic” and aimed at “weakening” the voting rights of citizens.
The leaders argued that “the Commission’s haste in making amendments without clearing up existing confusions has undermined public confidence in the process”.
The alliance also expressed concern over the timing of the counting phase, which coincides with the northeast monsoon in Tamil Nadu. It said district and local officials would already be engaged in rain-related relief and disaster management work, potentially affecting the proper conduct of the revision.
Furthermore, the coalition pointed to several irregularities in the initial stages of the exercise.
It said booth level officers (BLOs) in many areas have not yet started distributing enumeration forms and have not established proper communication channels with booth level agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties.
It also highlighted that the voter lists of 2002 and 2005, currently available on the ECI website, were incomplete and causing confusion among officials and political representatives.
Citing these procedural lapses and the alleged partisan intent behind the amendment, the Secular Progressive Alliance demanded that the Election Commission immediately withdraw the SIR and initiate a transparent, inclusive process in consultation with all political parties before making any further amendments in the voter list.
–IANS
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