2 hrs ago
Chidambaram Rejects Voter Deletion Claim Behind Tamil Nadu Results
P Chidambaram said some voters were wrongly removed from election lists.
However, he said this does not prove that the removals caused TVK to win or DMK to lose.
He said the opposition must show how much alleged vote manipulation happened.
He wants the Election Commission to stop its voter-list revision work in other states.
He also wants many removed voters put back on the lists.
The Election Commission said its decisions followed legal procedures.
Congress leaders are considering court action or a parliamentary effort against the chief election commissioner.
Chidambaram said new elections cannot be held for seats that have already voted.
P Chidambaram said voter deletions were wrong but could not alone explain TVK’s victory or DMK’s defeat.
He said opposition parties must prove allegations about the scale of alleged vote manipulation in Tamil Nadu.
Chidambaram urged the Election Commission to halt the Special Intensive Revision and restore allegedly deleted names.
He said opposition leaders may pursue the Supreme Court or a parliamentary removal resolution against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Election Commission said differing views are normal and its orders follow statutory procedures with legal authority.
- Who
- Congress leader P Chidambaram, the Election Commission of India, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and opposition parties.
- What
- A dispute over alleged mass voter deletions, electoral-roll revision, and claims that the deletions affected Tamil Nadu’s Assembly election results.
- Where
- Chidambaram spoke in Karaikudi, Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu; the voter-roll dispute concerns Tamil Nadu and other Indian states.
- When
- The remarks were made on Monday, September 28, amid protests and an ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision process.
- Why
- Chidambaram said deleted voters should have remained on the rolls and called for corrective action, while rejecting the claim that deletions alone determined the Tamil Nadu results.
Chidambaram and opposition parties
Election Commission of India
Effect of voter deletions
Chidambaram and opposition parties
Chidambaram said the deletions were wrong and should be corrected, but said it was not apparent that they alone caused TVK’s victory or DMK’s defeat.
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission did not accept the allegation that its voter-roll actions improperly determined the Tamil Nadu result; it said its orders followed established legal procedures.
Legality and internal decision-making
Chidambaram and opposition parties
Chidambaram questioned whether formal files and consensus existed among all three Election Commissioners for key revision-related decisions.
Election Commission of India
The EC said differing views and observations are normal in institutional deliberations and that its orders carry full legal authority.
Accountability and remedies
Chidambaram and opposition parties
Chidambaram backed demands for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, an FIR, and arrest, and said opposition leaders may pursue court action or a removal resolution.
Election Commission of India
The article reports the EC’s procedural defence but does not state a separate response from Gyanesh Kumar to the resignation, FIR, or arrest demands.
Key facts
- Speaker
- P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader and former Union minister
- Election outcome discussed
- TVK’s victory and DMK’s defeat in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections
- Disputed process
- Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls
- Alleged deletions
- Chidambaram cited figures of about 13 crore and later 13.30 crore names removed across 20 states
- Opposition demands
- Halting the revision in other states and restoring allegedly deleted names
- Election Commission response
- The EC said differing views are normal and its orders have legal sanction and follow statutory procedures
- Possible next steps
- The Congress Working Committee and INDIA bloc may consider Supreme Court action or a parliamentary removal resolution
Quotes
P Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader and former Union minister
“There is a case in the Supreme Court. When Parliament convenes, a resolution seeking his removal could be brought. All that, I cannot decide alone. The Congress Working Committee is meeting tomorrow, and they will take a decision. After that, the INDIA bloc meeting will take place in two or three days, where decisions will be taken”
theprint.in
“They (ECI) have removed them (voters). That is wrong. Those names should have been included. But it is not apparent to me that TVK won and DMK lost only because of that… I do not know to what extent vote theft happened in Tamil Nadu”
theprint.in
Sources
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