Tamil Nadu Parties Boycott Electoral Officer Meeting, Demand Gyanesh Kumar Resignation

In a rare cross‑party protest, Tamil Nadu’s ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and its allies walked out of an all‑party meeting in Chennai on Friday, accusing the state’s Special Summary Revision (SSR) of purging 7.4 million voters. Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik had convened the session to review the electoral rolls ahead of the next elections, but the walkout left the room dimmer than expected. The move rattles a coalition that had been perceived as united on election matters.

Only the BJP and AIADMK showed up at the podium, a stark contrast to the usual parade of parties that had turned up for the meeting. The absence of Congress, CPM, CPI, DMK, AAP, DMDK, and NTK Katchi signaled a growing rift over the SIR process. Patnaik, who had called the session to address concerns, was left to discuss the SSR with a single party’s voice.

TVK state minister Nirmal Kumar told the gathering that the ruling party had manipulated the SIR process to exclude young and women voters, a tactic the party says violates the DMK’s pledge to inclusivity. He warned that the current roll is biased and that the errors must be corrected before the SSR can proceed. "We cannot move on until we fix the mistakes," he said.

DMK’s I. Paranthamen echoed the concerns, pointing out that the SIR exercise has already removed 74 lakh names from the roll. He called for the immediate removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demanded that the Election Commission restore the lost voters. "If we ignore these errors, the upcoming elections will lack credibility," he added.

The parties have filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission, demanding a review of the 7.4 million exclusions and a corrective process before the SSR moves forward. They warn that any further lapses could jeopardise the integrity of the elections and undermine public trust. A hearing is set for next month to decide whether the roll can be amended.