'False Information Being Floated': ECI Fact Checks P Chidambaram's SIR Post On Tamil Nadu's Migrant Voters

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken strong exception to the claims made by senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram regarding the inclusion of migrant voters in Tamil Nadu's electoral rolls. Chidambaram had alleged that around 6.5 lakh migrant workers had been added to the electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, terming it alarming and patently illegal. However, the ECI has rubbished these claims, describing them as misleading and baseless.

The ECI has come out with a detailed response to Chidambaram's claims, stating that false figures are being floated about the enrollment of 6.5 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu. The poll body asserted that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has not been initiated in Tamil Nadu, making it absurd to connect the SIR exercise in Bihar with Tamil Nadu. The ECI has also clarified that it is not possible to provide exact figures on the number of voters who have permanently shifted from Bihar to other states and are ordinarily resident in those states until the SIR exercise is conducted.

Clarification On Migrant Voters

The ECI has also clarified the rules regarding migrant voters. According to the Representation of the People Act, a person can be registered as an elector in the place where they are ordinarily resident, regardless of their original place of residence. The law also states that a person originally belonging to Tamil Nadu but ordinarily residing in Delhi can be registered as an elector in Delhi. Similarly, a person originally belonging to Bihar but ordinarily residing in Chennai can be registered as an elector in Chennai.

Chidambaram had criticised the ECI, saying that the migrant workers' right to vote should be respected and that they should not be disenfranchised. He also questioned the ECI's decision to add migrant workers to the electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, arguing that they should instead vote in their home state. Chidambaram's claims have stirred a controversy, with many questioning the motives behind his allegations.

ECI's Stand on Claims and Objections

The ECI has also stated that not a single claim or objection has been filed by any political party since the publication of the draft electoral rolls on August 1. The ECI statement contradicted the claims made by some political parties about the disenfranchisement of voters in Bihar. 

The ECI has emphasised that it is committed to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and that it will take all necessary steps to prevent any attempts to manipulate the electoral rolls. While the ECI has clarified the rules regarding migrant voters, the issue remains a contentious one.