Chennai: The Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay, staged a state-wide protest on Sundayagainst the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, citing concerns that it threatens voting rights ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

Although Vijay did not personally attend, leaders including state general secretary N Anand and senior leader Aadhav Arjuna led demonstrations in Chennai. Anand said, “This protest is not just for a small demand. It is being held to place it on record that through the SIR exercise, the voting rights of people are removed.”

The protests follow criticism from the opposition DMK, which has legally challenged the SIR exercise. TVK questioned why the DMK had not passed a resolution in the state assembly against the nationwide exercise, while the DMK countered that TVK had skipped the November 2 all-party meeting convened to discuss the issue.

“The DMK is fighting this legally and on the ground. If Vijay is concerned about SIR, why did TVK skip the all-party meeting?” said senior DMK leader TKS Elangovan.

The SIR process is part of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) efforts to update electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. The EC reported that 5.9 crore enumeration forms—92% of voters in 234 constituencies—have been distributed as of November 15.

Vijay, in a video message on November 15, expressed concerns about the implementation, noting that 6.36 crore votersare involved and urging TVK volunteers to ensure forms reach the public and encourage voter participation at polling booths.

Meanwhile, the BJP criticized the protests, suggesting Vijay could have mobilized volunteers to assist with the SIR process instead.

The protests reflect growing political tensions in Tamil Nadu over voter roll revisions, with TVK positioning itself as a defender of voter rights ahead of the upcoming elections.

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