A deceptive political theatre: Vijay boycotts DMK meeting, slams Election Commission over voter roll revision

Chennai: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay launched a strong attack on both the Election Commission (EC) and the Tamil Nadu government on Sunday after boycotting the all-party meeting called by the ruling DMK to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.

In a sharply worded statement, Vijay said the SIR process was “unconstitutional, politically motivated, and a threat to democracy.” He accused the EC of rushing through the voter verification process, saying it was impossible to fairly verify over 6.36 crore voters in Tamil Nadu within just 30 days.

“Such a rushed process undermines the basic democratic rights of the people,” Vijay said.

He added that the exercise could result in mass voter deletions, similar to what reportedly happened in Bihar, where “lakhs of minority voters were struck off” during a similar revision.

Accusations against the DMK

Vijay accused the DMK of “stage-managing an all-party meeting” to divert public attention from corruption controversies rather than standing up to the EC’s decision.

“When Kerala’s Assembly passed a resolution against the SIR, why has the DMK not done the same if it truly opposes it?” he asked. Calling the meeting “a deceptive political theatre designed to mislead the public,” Vijay said the ruling party was trying to appear cooperative while avoiding accountability.

What are Vijay’s recommendations?

The TVK chief put forward seven key suggestions to ensure the voter list revision is fair and transparent. He called for correcting genuine errors, removing fake entries, ensuring inclusion of all eligible citizens, accepting Aadhaar as valid proof of age and identity, and making final electoral rolls digitally accessible to both political parties and the public.

He also urged the EC to involve local representatives and independent observers to prevent large-scale manipulation during the process.

Vijay reaffirmed that his party would continue to protect democratic rights. “TVK stands firmly with the people, for democracy, for rights, and for justice,” he said.

He announced that the TVK would launch awareness drives across the State and monitor voter camps to make sure no genuine voter is removed from the rolls.

Wider opposition to the SIR

Vijay’s boycott and strong criticism come amid growing resistance from several political parties in Tamil Nadu against the Special Intensive Revision. Many parties have expressed concerns that the process could be used unfairly ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

IANS inputs