Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday alleged large-scale irregularities in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s Kolathur constituency, claiming that around 4,379 duplicate and fraudulent voters were found in the electoral rolls. She asserted that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) aims to eliminate such bogus entries.
Duplicate Voter Entries and Fake Addresses
Addressing a press conference in Coimbatore, Sitharaman presented several examples to support her claim.
She said that in booth number 157, a voter named Rafiullah appeared three times with different EPIC numbers. She added that nearly 9,133 voters were registered under fake or unverifiable addresses within Kolathur.
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Sitharaman further highlighted that:
- 30 voter IDs were registered at a single address (House No. 11, Booth 84)
- 62 voters of various religions and castes were listed at another single address (House No. 20, Booth 187)
- 80 voters were registered at one house (House No. 10, Booth 140)
“These voters actually live elsewhere. There are 5,964 mixed households with unrelated individuals listed at the same address,” she said, questioning the integrity of the voter rolls.
Questions DMK’s Opposition to SIR
Responding to Chief Minister Stalin’s criticism that the SIR process was a “conspiracy,” Sitharaman clarified that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is constitutionally mandated to conduct voter list revisions before every election.
“Why is the DMK protesting now, after allowing 13 previous revisions without objection?” she asked, alleging that the DMK was raising baseless concerns to divert attention from governance failures.
She also said, “It has become a habit for the DMK to question EVMs and central agencies whenever they face electoral challenges.”
‘No Voter Will Lose Rights,’ Says Sitharaman
The Finance Minister assured that no genuine voter’s rights would be revoked, but added that legal action would be taken against those lacking valid documentation or submitting fraudulent details.
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PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss Raises Allegations Against DMK
Meanwhile, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss alleged that members of the ruling DMK were illegally interfering in the SIR process.
He claimed that instead of official Booth Level Officers (BLOs), DMK’s IT and youth wing members were visiting homes to collect voter data exclusively from party supporters.
Calling the practice “undemocratic,” he urged the ECI to appoint IAS officers from other states as independent observers in all Assembly constituencies to ensure a fair and transparent electoral revision.
