NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) for adding approximately 6.5 lakh “migrant workers” to the electoral roll of Tamil Nadu, while around 65 lakh people were termed “permanently migrated” and were removed from Bihar’s voter list.
He called the move under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise “alarming” and “patently illegal,” describing it as an abuse of power by the poll body, which must be “fought politically and legally.”
In a series of posts on social media platform X, the former home minister asked, how did the ECI determine that lakhs of individuals listed in Bihar’s current electoral rolls should be removed for 'permanently migrating' out of the state?
He further added, before reaching any such conclusion, a thorough investigation must be done on a case-by-case basis. And how can any such enquiry be conducted in a duration of 30 days involving over 37 lakh people?
Chidambaram wrote: "Every Indian has a right to live and work in any state where he has a permanent home. That is obvious and right. How did the ECI come to the conclusion that several lakh persons, whose names are in the current electoral rolls of Bihar, must be excluded because they had 'permanently migrated' out of the state? That is the question. Before you reach the conclusion that a person has 'permanently migrated' out of a state, should not a thorough enquiry be conducted into each case? How could such an enquiry involving 37 lakh persons have been conducted in a period of 30 days? Mass disenfranchisement is a serious issue, and that is why the Supreme Court is hearing the petitions."
On the addition of migrant workers to the electoral roll of Tamil Nadu, the Congress veteran questioned why the migrants shouldn’t go back to their states for voting, drawing an analogy with people returning to Bihar for festivals like “Chhath Puja.”
He wrote, “Why should the migrant worker not return to Bihar (or his/her home state) to vote in the State Assembly election, as they usually do? Does not the migrant worker return to Bihar at the time of the Chhath Puja festival?”
The senior leader said calling them "permanently migrated" is an insult to the migrant workers and a gross interference in the right of the electorate of Tamil Nadu to elect a government of its choice.
The former Union minister also asked how people with a legal home in Bihar were registered as voters in Tamil Nadu.
“A person to be enrolled as a voter must have a fixed and permanent legal home. The migrant worker has such a home in Bihar (or another state). How can he/she be enrolled as a voter in Tamil Nadu? If the migrant worker's family has a permanent home in Bihar and lives in Bihar, how can the migrant worker be considered as 'permanently migrated' to Tamil Nadu?” the post added on X.
Chidambaram accused the Election Commission of overstepping its authority. "The ECI is abusing its powers and trying to change the electoral character and patterns of states. This abuse of powers must be fought politically and legally @CMOTamilnadu," he added.
He called the move under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise “alarming” and “patently illegal,” describing it as an abuse of power by the poll body, which must be “fought politically and legally.”
In a series of posts on social media platform X, the former home minister asked, how did the ECI determine that lakhs of individuals listed in Bihar’s current electoral rolls should be removed for 'permanently migrating' out of the state?
He further added, before reaching any such conclusion, a thorough investigation must be done on a case-by-case basis. And how can any such enquiry be conducted in a duration of 30 days involving over 37 lakh people?
Chidambaram wrote: "Every Indian has a right to live and work in any state where he has a permanent home. That is obvious and right. How did the ECI come to the conclusion that several lakh persons, whose names are in the current electoral rolls of Bihar, must be excluded because they had 'permanently migrated' out of the state? That is the question. Before you reach the conclusion that a person has 'permanently migrated' out of a state, should not a thorough enquiry be conducted into each case? How could such an enquiry involving 37 lakh persons have been conducted in a period of 30 days? Mass disenfranchisement is a serious issue, and that is why the Supreme Court is hearing the petitions."
Every Indian has a right to live and work in any state where he has a permanent home. That is obvious and right
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 3, 2025
How did the ECI come to the conclusion that several lakh persons, whose names are in the current electoral rolls of Bihar, must be excluded because they had…
On the addition of migrant workers to the electoral roll of Tamil Nadu, the Congress veteran questioned why the migrants shouldn’t go back to their states for voting, drawing an analogy with people returning to Bihar for festivals like “Chhath Puja.”
He wrote, “Why should the migrant worker not return to Bihar (or his/her home state) to vote in the State Assembly election, as they usually do? Does not the migrant worker return to Bihar at the time of the Chhath Puja festival?”
The senior leader said calling them "permanently migrated" is an insult to the migrant workers and a gross interference in the right of the electorate of Tamil Nadu to elect a government of its choice.
The former Union minister also asked how people with a legal home in Bihar were registered as voters in Tamil Nadu.
“A person to be enrolled as a voter must have a fixed and permanent legal home. The migrant worker has such a home in Bihar (or another state). How can he/she be enrolled as a voter in Tamil Nadu? If the migrant worker's family has a permanent home in Bihar and lives in Bihar, how can the migrant worker be considered as 'permanently migrated' to Tamil Nadu?” the post added on X.
The SIR exercise is getting curiouser and curiouser
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 3, 2025
While 65 lakh voters are in danger of being disenfranchised in Bihar, reports of "adding" 6.5 lakh persons as voters in Tamil Nadu is alarming and patently illegal
Calling them "permanently migrated" is an insult to the…
Chidambaram accused the Election Commission of overstepping its authority. "The ECI is abusing its powers and trying to change the electoral character and patterns of states. This abuse of powers must be fought politically and legally @CMOTamilnadu," he added.
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