AIADMK joins DMK's plea in SC against SIR; 'truth must be told', EPS defends move

The specific case was originally filed by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which has alleged that the SIR exercise is anti-democratic and could lead to the arbitrary exclusion of genuine voters by imposing rigid documentation requirements and short timelines.

The plea emphasises the need for the revision to be conducted without discrepancies or irregularities, ensuring transparency in the voter list overhaul ahead of upcoming elections.

AIADMK's pivot

The AIADMK's pivot from first endorsing SIR to joining the plea challenging its legality and process underscores deepening political faultlines in Tamil Nadu, with both parties framing the issue as a battle for electoral integrity.

However, the AIADMK, has claimed that it has joined the plea to present its own arguments in the case.

Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) said they filed the intervening petition since it was essential to "highlight the ground reality".

Also read: Petition against SIR in TN has two core points, illegality and impracticability: NR Ilango

"We have joined the DMK's case in the Supreme Court because the truth must be told. The DMK's actions are condemnable since they are confusing the people," EPS stressed. He pointed out that SIR is being conducted in Tamil after 21 years, marking the ninth such exercise in the state.

"Previously, it was done eight times without a whimper from the DMK. In several past elections, polling happened without any voter list revisions. Yet, the mere mention of SIR makes the DMK panic. What's wrong with the exercise?” EPS asked.

EPS dismissed DMK's claims of the 10-day timeline as being inadequate as "lies", saying that only one part of the process has been allotted, with 300 households assigned per Booth Level Officer (BLO). "This can be easily completed in 10 days without any delays," EPS reiterated.

Further, he alleged that failing to remove details of residents who have shifted homes would allow the DMK to exploit "bogus votes". "That's why the DMK alliance is protesting against the reforms, they want to use it for their advantage," he added.

Notably, the AIADMK has also cautioned that in the process of SIR, genuine names should not be dropped and ineligible names should not be included in the voters' list.

Drama, says DMK

The DMK, meanwhile, has called the AIADMK's move as “stage-managed drama”.

In Trichy, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin used Srirangam DMK MLA's family event to fire back at the Opposition. Addressing the gathering, Stalin accused "enemies" of deploying novel tactics to dismantle the DMK.

"They've sent the Income Tax department, CBI raids – now they're wielding SIR as a weapon to destroy us. But they can never eradicate the DMK," he declared, drawing applause from supporters.

'Blind supporter of BJP'

Taking a direct swipe at EPS, Stalin quipped, "Palaniswami has to play the 'yes man' to the Big Boss in Delhi."

Also read: SIR begins in Tamil Nadu amid DMK’s petition in Supreme Court

On the SIR legal battle, the CM labelled the AIADMK's intervention as "stage-managed drama".

"The DMK has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against SIR. Now, the AIADMK has filed another petition to join us. If they had genuine concern for voters, they should have challenged it earlier. No matter what the BJP says, the AIADMK blindly supports them. Their sinister motives will never succeed," Stalin asserted.

The SIR, mandated by the Election Commission for select assembly constituencies, aims to cleanse voter rolls by verifying entries house-to-house. Critics, including the DMK, fear it could disenfranchise genuine voters due to the compressed timeline, potentially disrupting the democratic process.

SIR as political tool

Speaking to The Federal on the escalating DMK-AIADMK tussle over the SIR of Tamil Nadu's voter rolls, senior journalist Savithri Kannan said that the AIADMK's alignment with the BJP extends beyond mere sycophancy—it's rooted in genuine concerns over alleged irregularities by DMK cadres in select voter lists.

"The AIADMK believes this SIR can rectify those discrepancies," Kannan observed, advocating for a three-month window as ample time for the exercise, provided it's executed with full commitment and integrity to weed out errors. However, he lambasted both Dravidian majors for turning the process into a political football.

"The DMK has begun leveraging the SIR controversy and the Election Commission itself for partisan gains, though there's no outright wrongdoing evident yet," Kannan noted. The running feud between the two Dravidian majors on the SIR issue is taking away from the core objective of ensuring electoral integrity, he pointed out.

CPI (M) files plea against SIR

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)in TN has approached the SC challenging the constitutional validity of the SIR of electoral rolls in TN, alleging that the ECI's move is “arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional.” The petition, filed by P Shanmugam, secretary of the CPI(M) Tamil Nadu State Committee, seeks to quash the ECI's order dated October 27, 2025, which mandated completion of the SIR exercise within a month.

According to the petition, the ECI's notification directs that enumeration be carried out between November 4 and December 4, 2025, covering the entire electorate of over 6.18 crore voters in Tamil Nadu.

Each Booth Level Officer (BLO) has been assigned nearly 500 households per day for issuing, filling, and verifying enumeration forms, a task that the petitioner terms “humanly impossible,” arguing that a BLO can meaningfully visit only 40 to 50 households a day.

SC hearing

As the SC is likely to hear the DMK's petition tomorrow, political observers warned that the row could delay preparations for assembly polls, further polarising the Dravidian heartland.

Meanwhile, the EC is yet to respond to the DMK-AIADMK's joint plea.