Top News

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed the Supreme Court that the allegations against the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise in Tamil Nadu are exaggerated and aimed at fabricating a narrative for vested political interests. In response to petitions filed by RS Bharti, the organizational secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Commission stated in its affidavit that these claims are incorrect and misleading, asserting that the SSR process was conducted smoothly. The Commission questioned why a petition was filed by a DMK official when the party was actively involved in the process. It raised concerns about the rationale behind the DMK secretary's petition, especially since the party had appointed Block Level Agents (BLA).

The affidavit emphasized that both political parties and citizens share responsibility in this process. It stated that every citizen and political party in Tamil Nadu has a constitutional duty to adopt a constructive approach towards the implementation of the SSR process and the finalization of voter lists. Furthermore, it noted that political parties aiming to represent the public and form a government must assist the Commission in accordance with democratic principles. The ECI argued that significant changes in the voter list have occurred over the past two decades due to rapid urbanization, migration, and changes in residence without removing previous registrations, leading to an increased likelihood of duplicate entries.

The affidavit also highlighted the necessity of conducting a Special Investigation Report (SIR) across the country, starting from Bihar, to address the situation. It noted that Bihar had successfully completed this process. Additionally, it mentioned that no appeals had been filed by individuals removed from the voter list.