Stalin urges Murmu to initiate action against Gyanesh Kumar

DMK president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday urged President Droupadi Murmu to refer to both Houses of Parliament a memorandum seeking action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the deletion of 97.37 lakh electors from Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted in 2025.

In a letter to the President, he said that when two Election Commissioners themselves said that decisions were being taken without their knowledge and described them as unauthorised and illegal, it is clear the institution is in need of protection.

He alleged that the deletion of electors in Tamil Nadu and several other States had taken place in a manner and on a scale that had skewed the results in several constituencies, weakened one political party, and strengthened another.

“The Election Commission of India (ECI) built, over seven decades, a reputation that was the envy of democracies across the world. That reputation belongs to the people of India and not to any individual who holds office in it,” he said in the memorandum.

Mr. Stalin said the President should seek information from the Prime Minister under Article 78 of the Constitution and advise the Centre to facilitate the parliamentary process. He urged her to ensure that Mr. Kumar did not exercise the powers of the Commission, pending the conclusion of the process.

Mr. Stalin also urged Ms. Murmu to advise the ECI against using the electoral rolls prepared in 2026 for future elections and by-elections in Tamil Nadu. He called for the final electoral rolls prepared after the SIR to be set aside and the pre-SIR electoral rolls restored for elections and by-elections in the State, in accordance with the law.

He also demanded the cancellation of the SIR in its entirety in all States.

He urged that future revisions be undertaken in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, with adequate time provided and individual notice and an opportunity for a hearing given to every elector.