Chennai, 20 December (H.S.) : Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran stated on Saturday that the ruling DMK has opposed the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls because a significant portion of the deleted voters were supporters of their party.

Speaking to the media, Nagenthran remarked that the DMK's resistance to the exercise stems from the fact that approximately ninety seven lakh names were removed from the rolls state wide.

He specifically pointed out that in the Kolathur constituency, which is represented by the Chief Minister, nearly one lakh voters were deleted. According to the BJP leader, these removals primarily targeted deceased individuals and those who had shifted residences, making it a necessary step for electoral transparency.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer recently announced that over ninety seven lakh names were dropped during the first phase of the intensive revision. Data reveals that sixty six lakh voters had shifted their homes, twenty six lakh were deceased, and nearly four lakh were found to be enrolled in multiple locations.

Nagenthran questioned the DMK's motives for opposing a process that cleanses the voter list of inaccuracies. He suggested that the large scale deletion of invalid entries should be welcomed by all political parties committed to fair elections rather than being seen as a political setback.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has called for increased vigilance among political parties following the massive update to the voter lists. He urged booth committee members to conduct door to door verifications to ensure the final lists are accurate.

Chidambaram flagged high deletion rates in districts like Sivagangai and Pudukkottai, insisting that parties must prove they are more watchful than the Election Commission.

With women voters now outnumbering men in the state, authorities are focusing on ensuring the integrity of the remaining five crore forty three lakh registered voters before upcoming polls.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary