Tamil Nadu Congress and DMK leaders take part in a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Chennai. | File photo
Tamil Nadu CEO rules out SIR extension, rejects bias allegations
Patnaik says Aadhaar is not mandatory, SIR deadline stays at Dec 4; asserts BLOs are working independently as Tamil Nadu prepares final electoral rolls
Chief Electoral Officer for Tamil Nadu, Archana Patnaik, on Monday (November 24) categorically ruled out any extension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls beyond December 4 and dismissed allegations of partisan handling of the voter list purification exercise.
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Addressing a crowded press conference at the state secretariat, Patnaik said 6.16 crore forms have been distributed across Tamil Nadu so far through 68,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 33,000 volunteers. “Only 2 lakh applications have been received online till date,” she added.
Rejects Opposition claims
On Opposition charges that DMK workers were monopolising form collection in several areas, the CEO replied, “There is no truth in the claim that only one particular party is collecting the forms. BLOs are working freely and independently.” To a specific question on alleged large-scale applications by people from Bihar, Patnaik said only 869 such forms have been received from residents of other states so far. On technical issues, she maintained that the SIR server is functioning smoothly and online submission is proceeding satisfactorily.
Defending the appointment of anganwadi workers as BLOs, the CEO said they had been given proper training and were doing “very good work.” On rejection of forms, she clarified, “If the information is correct, the application will not be rejected. If anything is wrong, clarification will be sought. No eligible voter will be removed from the list without a proper reason and intimation.”
Aadhaar not mandatory
Aadhaar, she reiterated, is not mandatory, but is used only for e-signature verification in online applications to confirm authenticity. When pressed on the possibility of extending the deadline, Patnaik was firm, “There is no chance of extending the SIR beyond December 4.” The final electoral rolls with a qualifying date of January 1, 2026, will be published on January 6, 2026.
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She highlighted the involvement of 327 BLOs who have already wrapped up their full quotas, praising their diligence, "There's no mental fatigue among them; they've received comprehensive training and support, and they're delivering outstanding work."