Senior DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Minister Durai Murugan has sparked political debate after strongly rejecting the applicability of the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. Responding to the nationwide rollout plan, Murugan remarked: “Tamil Nadu is not Bihar. Tamil Nadu is a state where people are aware. The governance there is not like here; here we have the leadership of Thalapathy, and such tricks will not work in Tamil Nadu or with our leader.”
Vellore, Tamil Nadu | On the proposition of SIR in Tamil Nadu, State Minister Durai Murugan says, “Tamil Nadu is not Bihar. Tamil Nadu is a state where people are aware. The governance there is not like here; here we have the leadership of Thalapathy, and such tricks will not… pic.twitter.com/1vypW6AyGy
— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2025
His sharp comments highlight the DMK’s skepticism toward central initiatives perceived as politically motivated, particularly those related to electoral processes.
Election Commission’s Nationwide Plan
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is preparing to implement the SIR exercise across the country, focusing on cleaning up electoral rolls and ensuring accuracy ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. A recent meeting of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) discussed the logistics, including a simplified document verification process for voter eligibility.
The Supreme Court’s recent directive recognising Aadhaar as the 12th valid identity document has added further clarity to the exercise, as per PTI. Officials emphasised that inclusivity and accuracy would be at the core of the revision.
Learning From Bihar’s Model
The SIR was first successfully rolled out in Bihar, where officials managed to address duplication and inaccuracy in voter rolls. The CEO of Bihar shared insights, challenges, and best practices with counterparts from other states. The ECI intends to replicate this model in key states like Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, all of which face elections in 2026.
