Velmurugan, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
from South Chennai, spent three days searching through almost
40,000 names from the 2002 and 2005 voter lists just to find his
own name. He told TNM that it felt like handling a crisis.
imagine how difficult it must be for ordinary people,” he said.
Many people across Tamil Nadu now share his frustration as the
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, carried out by the
Election Commission of India (ECI), is happening.
The checking of voter details began on November 4 and will end
on December 4. But halfway through this rushed 30-day process,
there are many complaints about confusion and technical problems.
Many voters, especially from marginalised or minority communities,
worry that their names may be removed from the voter list.
People have also raised concerns about a lack of transparency,
poor training for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and weak
communication from district officials. All these issues have
made the SIR one of the most debated and worrying voter list
exercises in recent years.