Electoral changes cost us: DMK says SIR hurt its prospects in Tamil Nadu bypolls

The DMK has attributed its electoral setback in the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly bypolls to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with party spokesperson TKS Elangovan claiming that large-scale deletion of voters affected the party’s prospects.Elangovan specifically blamed the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that significant numbers of voters were removed from electoral rolls in polling booths where the DMK had performed strongly in previous elections.According to Elangovan, the deletion of voters may have influenced the outcome of the bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, where the DMK faced defeats against candidates of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).“Even if the DMK wins two seats across all the constituencies that have fallen vacant, it would be a victory for us,” Elangovan said, referring to the party’s prospects in the bypolls. DMK CANDIDATES DEFEATED IN TWO SEATSIn Madurantakam, TVK candidate K Maragatham Kumaravel defeated DMK candidate I Paranthamen. Kumaravel had earlier won the constituency as an AIADMK candidate in the April 2026 Assembly election before resigning as MLA and joining TVK. She was subsequently fielded by TVK in the bypoll.In Dharapuram, TVK candidate P Sathyabama defeated DMK candidate S Suganya. Sathyabama, like Kumaravel, had previously won the constituency as an AIADMK candidate before joining TVK. The two bypolls were held on October 6 and marked the first major electoral test for TVK after it came to power in Tamil Nadu earlier this year. The contests also saw the DMK and AIADMK attempt to challenge TVK’s position in the two constituencies.SIR BECOMES DMK'S FOCUSElangovan’s comments place the SIR at the centre of the DMK’s explanation for its performance in the bypolls. The party has previously raised concerns over the electoral-roll revision and questioned whether eligible voters could be left out during the exercise.The Election Commission’s revision process has been the subject of a wider political debate, with opposition parties raising concerns about voter deletions and the verification of electoral records.The DMK’s argument is that changes in the electoral rolls may have disproportionately affected areas where it had previously secured support. Elangovan said the party had observed substantial deletions in polling booths where the DMK had won in earlier elections.The claims come as the SIR process continues to draw political scrutiny across several states.The Election Commission has maintained that electoral-roll revisions are intended to ensure that the rolls contain eligible voters and that the process includes mechanisms for claims, objections and corrections.For the DMK, however, the bypoll results have renewed questions about the impact of voter-roll changes on electoral contests. The party is now linking its losses in Madurantakam and Dharapuram to the broader debate over the SIR and the Election Commission’s handling of the revision process.- Ends