Former Minister V. Senthil Balaji taking part in the protest against SIR in Coimbatore on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SIVA SARAVANAN S.
The DMK and its alliance parties under the INDIA bloc staged a demonstration at Sivananda Colony in Coimbatore city on Tuesday (November 11, 2025) opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls undertaken by the Election Commission of India.
Leading the protest, former Minister V. Senthil Balaji said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was the first to raise concern over the SIR exercise, which he alleged was politically motivated. He said the BJP-led Union government was attempting to interfere with the democratic process by using the Election Commission as a tool to restrict the voting rights of citizens.
Mr. Balaji said the revision drive was being carried out in haste and questioned the practicality of completing data collection and verification for nearly seven crore voters in Tamil Nadu within a month. “This hurried exercise may lead to errors and omissions. In Bihar, about 68 lakh names were deleted while only 21 lakh new voters were added during a similar process, and no proper explanation was given,” he said.
He further alleged that after using agencies such as the Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate, and CBI for political purposes, the BJP was now using the Election Commission to gain an electoral advantage. He added that the DMK had approached the Supreme Court to halt the SIR process.
Criticising the AIADMK for supporting the revision, Mr. Balaji said the party was aligning with the BJP on the issue and urged the public to remain vigilant and ensure their names were not removed from the rolls.
Mr. Balaji said the DMK would win all ten constituencies in Coimbatore in the next election because of its focus on development, welfare measures, and infrastructure projects that have contributed to Coimbatore’s growth.
A large number of cadres raised slogans during the protest, expressing their opposition.
Published – November 11, 2025 06:28 pm IST
