DMK-led SPA to hit streets against SIR on November 11

In a joint statement, parties accused the Election Commission of acting as a “puppet” of BJP and alleged that the move is seen as depriving people of their voting rights and undermining democracy at its roots.

Chennai: Reiterating their opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu which they claim is aimed at remove genuine voters from the list, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) on Thursday announced “massive protests” in all 38 district headquarters on November 11 demanding immediate halt of the exercise. 

In a joint statement, the parties accused the Election Commission of India of acting as a “puppet” of the BJP and alleged that the move is seen as depriving people of their voting rights and undermining democracy at its roots. 

“Furthermore, the urgency shown by the Election Commission raises serious doubts. Through SIR., the Election Commission intends to remove the names of genuine voters in Tamil Nadu from the voter list,” the parties said, and flagged the practical problems that people will face while filing forms since the exercise coincides with the northeast monsoon season. 

They also alleged that the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have still not started distributing enumeration forms in many areas and there is poor co-ordination between them and Booth Level Agents (BLA2). 

In some places, especially in Tiruppur district, BLOs are forcing voters to complete the enumeration form in a single day, they alleged and pointed out that the voters’ list of 2002 and 2005 after the last SIR published on the Election Commission's website are incomplete and confusing.

“Hence, we appeal to the Election Commission to immediately stop the SIR revision and condemns the commission for being a puppet of the Union BJP government and acting in an authoritarian manner. Against this, the coalition calls for a massive protest on November 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM across all district headquarters in Tamil Nadu,” the statement added. 

The DMK has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court against SIR calling it a “de-facto NRC.”