Chennai: The INDIA bloc constituents of Tamil Nadu staged a major “protect democracy” agitation here on Thursday, October 15, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal and against the Centre over alleged electoral roll manipulation, with the ruling TVK, in a first, joining the protest as a part of the opposition grouping.
TVK’s participation in the protest came days after it joined the INDIA bloc.
A large number of party workers belonging to constituent parties joined the agitation, and the leaders, one after the other, spoke denouncing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
DMK’s defeat was engineered by Centre: VCK chief
However, the stir exposed the faultlines within the opposition alliance with VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan declaring that the DMK’s April 2026 electoral defeat was an “artificial loss” engineered by the Central government, rather than a genuine mandate for change.
The VCK chief’s remarks comes against the background of TVK just a day ago blaming the DMK for “removing 74 lakh voters from the rolls,” else it would have won not 108 but over 160 seats in the April Assembly polls.
Congress had already declared that the people will not accept the DMK’s claim that the removal of voters under the SIR led to its defeat in the polls, as it had maintained before the elections held this year that it prevented the deletion of names of voters in the state.
Congress and the VCK were among the pre-poll partners of the DMK that joined the TVK government in May and subsequently became part of the alliance led by the C Joseph Vijay-helmed ruling party.
TVK vehemently opposed SIR: Minister
Addressing the protest, TVK leader and School Education Minister A Rajmohan emphasised his party’s “relentless opposition” to the SIR right from the start. The minister condemned it as “inherently anti-democratic and harmful” to the principles of equality established by B R Ambedkar.
Rajmohan said the TVK had taken legal action by challenging the implementation of SIR – including its rollout in states like Bihar – in the Supreme Court of India.
Thirumavalavan, however, defended the ousted DMK. He alleged that the SIR process resulted in the “theft” of over 97 lakh votes – primarily targeting minority and Scheduled Caste communities – which he argued directly caused former Chief Minister M K Stalin’s defeat in the Kolathur constituency and also his party’s loss. Stalin had earlier won thrice in a row from Kolathur since 2011.
“The DMK was defeated through a systematic process of targeted voter deletion and electoral manipulation,” the Lok Sabha MP claimed, suggesting that individuals were specifically targeted to ensure a negative outcome for the then ruling party.
TNCC chief calls for united opposition
Addressing the obvious contradictions on stage, TNCC chief B Manickam Tagore emphasised the need for collective efforts of the opposition parties to force the centre to roll back the SIR.
Speaking at the protest venue, the Virudhunagar Lok Sabha member said, “We need to save democracy by ensuring the rollback of SIR. This will be possible only if CEC resigns.”
Tagore insisted on the unity of the INDIA bloc, noting the recent support from the TVK, which he said has strengthened their democratic movement.
He emphasised that the coalition is fighting against “politics of hate” and asserted that the BJP-led government at the Centre was acting in an “authoritarian manner.”
Tagore acknowledged that the alliance consisted of diverse political parties ranging from those with 140 years of history to those only three years old and stated that all of them remained united by the common goal of protecting democracy. The leaders are currently pursuing a “legal battle” in the Supreme Court, expecting a positive outcome, while continuing their political struggle on the ground, he said.
MDMK chief Vaiko condemned the deletion of approximately 13.3 crore voters from the electoral rolls across India, terming it a “demolition of democracy” and a “sinister” act disguised as a Intensive Revision. He demanded the resignation of CEC Kumar, accusing him of being “an agent” of the central government and failing to protect the sanctity of the electoral process.
Vaiko highlighted that this is not an isolated issue but part of a massive, spontaneous democratic revolution, with students, youth, and citizens from Kashmir to Kanyakumari rising up against this “injustice”.
TVK’s addition adds heft to INDIA bloc’s local presence
The high-stakes demonstration marked the street debut of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam within the alliance over the SIR issue, adding heft to the national coalition’s local presence.
CM Vijay-led TVK, which defeated the DMK, formed its first minority government with the support of the Dravidian party’s pre-poll allies–Congress, VCK and the Left in May. The TVK has now emerged as the newest powerhouse member for the INDIA bloc since it joined the alliance earlier this month.
State secretaries of CPI (M) and CPI, P Shanmugam and M Veerapandian, respectively, among others participated in the protest.
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