The DMK has shifted its position on Rahul Gandhi’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, moving from criticism of the Congress leader on Tuesday to support for his demonstration a day later. DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan on Wednesday defended Gandhi’s right to protest and criticised the government for allegedly preventing him from raising concerns against Kumar. The change came shortly after another party spokesperson had questioned Gandhi’s position on alleged voter deletions in Tamil Nadu under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had on Tuesday led an INDIA bloc protest in Delhi against the Election Commission. The Opposition march began from Parliament and proceeded towards the poll panel’s office, with leaders demanding that the SIR exercise be withdrawn and seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration became a major political confrontation between the Opposition and the Election Commission over the revision of electoral rolls.

On Tuesday, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai publicly questioned Gandhi’s position on alleged deletions from electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu. Annadurai accused the Congress leader of taking inconsistent positions on the SIR exercise and questioned why developments concerning Tamil Nadu had not received similar attention during the wider Opposition campaign against the Election Commission. His remarks were viewed as criticism of Gandhi’s approach to the electoral roll controversy.

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A day later, however, TKS Elangovan adopted a markedly different position while commenting on the Opposition protest. He argued that citizens have the right to oppose what they consider government wrongdoing and defended Gandhi’s decision to protest against the Chief Election Commissioner. Elangovan also questioned whether elections could be considered fair if the person occupying a key constitutional position was, in the party’s view, acting in an anti-democratic manner.

The contrasting statements have highlighted differences in the DMK’s public messaging over the Opposition campaign against the Election Commission and the SIR process. While Tuesday’s remarks focused on Gandhi’s alleged inconsistency over voter-roll revisions in Tamil Nadu, Wednesday’s comments centred on his right to protest and the Opposition’s demand for action against Kumar.

The dispute comes amid a broader political confrontation over electoral roll revisions and the role of the Election Commission. The INDIA bloc has continued to raise concerns about the SIR exercise and alleged voter deletions, while the Election Commission has maintained its position on the electoral-roll revision process. The DMK’s latest comments indicate its support for the wider Opposition protest, despite the criticism directed at Gandhi by one of its spokespersons just a day earlier.

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