DMK blames Rahul Gandhi for silence on voter roll cuts in Tamil Nadu

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for remaining silent about mass voter list removals in Tamil Nadu. DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai posted on social media to question why Rahul failed to back party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who stated that state governments formed after the Special Intensive Revision process are illegal.

The Dispute

Annadurai claimed that Rahul stays quiet because he fears actor-politician Vijay and his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The DMK leader used strong language on X to call out the opposition figure while the INDIA bloc held a demonstration in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision process.

Voter List Cuts

The controversial revision carried out before the 2026 assembly polls led to ninety-seven point three lakh names being dropped from draft electoral lists. Total voter numbers in the state fell from roughly six point four one crore down to five point four three crore. Official records show sixty-six point four lakh voters were tagged as shifted or absent, twenty-six point nine lakh as dead, and about four lakh as duplicates. Chennai alone lost over fourteen lakh names, and Kolathur constituency dropped about one point zero three lakh names.

Context

Electoral list revisions are routine administrative exercises conducted by election authorities to clean up outdated entries, though disputes over timelines and large-scale removals often spark fierce political battles. In regional politics, shifting alliances and the emergence of new regional parties can quickly strain relationships between national and state-level political partners.