On Tuesday, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said the party had reversed its earlier criticism of Rahul Gandhi and would now back his march from Parliament to the Election Commission office. The announcement followed a statement earlier in the week that criticised Gandhi for his perceived silence over alleged voter deletions in Tamil Nadu.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, led a march from the Parliament building to the Election Commission’s office on Wednesday, demanding the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest drew an estimated 30,000 supporters, many of whom were students and local residents who had witnessed the alleged deletions.
The DMK’s pivot comes after a long history of alliance with the Congress, which ended abruptly following the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The split followed Congress’s decision to back actor Vijay’s TVK to form the state government, a move that left the DMK furious about the handling of the SIR exercise.
Elangovan said the party would stand with the opposition bloc on the issue, adding that "the right of citizens to protest against government wrongdoings is fundamental." Rahul Gandhi has not yet issued a statement in response to the DMK’s reversal.
Both parties plan to participate in a nationwide protest on Thursday, slated to take place at the Election Commission office. The joint march aims to pressure the central government to revisit the SIR process and to address the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.