In a rare display of cross-party unity, an all-party meeting chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday adopted a scathing resolution branding the Election Commission of India's (ECI) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an "assault on people's voting rights" and a partisan move favoring the ruling BJP at the Centre. The resolution demands immediate withdrawal of the SIR exercise initiated via ECI's October 27 notification and insists the process be deferred until after the 2026 assembly elections to ensure fairness and compliance with Supreme Court guidelines.

The meeting, attended by 49 political parties including DMK allies, accused the constitutionally independent ECI of "functioning on behalf of the ruling party at the Centre" and cited "practical difficulties and suspicions" surrounding the rushed revision. Highlighting a parallel SIR case in Bihar still pending before the Supreme Court, the resolution labeled the ECI's decision to proceed in Tamil Nadu as "wholly undemocratic." It called for rectification of notification deficiencies, adequate processing time, and a guarantee of complete impartiality—failing which, the parties resolved to jointly petition the Supreme Court to safeguard electoral democracy.

Emphasizing the urgency, the resolution stated that repeated concerns raised by political parties have been ignored by the ECI, leaving no option but legal recourse. "The ECI must explicitly follow Supreme Court guidelines and conduct SIR only post-2026 in an independent manner," it asserted, warning that the current timeline risks disenfranchising voters and undermining public trust in the electoral process.

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Notably absent from the meeting were several opposition outfits, including Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), AMMK, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), Puthiya Thamizhagam, India Jananayaka Katchi, and Perunthalaivar Makkal Katchi. Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), while vehemently opposing the SIR and listing multiple procedural flaws, boycotted the meet, dismissing the DMK's initiative as a "belated move" and questioning its motives.

The unified stand underscores mounting tensions between state political forces and the ECI ahead of crucial elections, with Tamil Nadu's parties framing the SIR not merely as an administrative exercise but as a deliberate attempt to manipulate voter lists. As legal preparations begin for the Supreme Court challenge, the outcome could set a precedent for electoral roll revisions nationwide.

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