Political parties urge CEC Gyanesh Kumar to hold single-phase polls in Tamil Nadu

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 26 : Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, on Thursday held meetings with recognised political parties in Chennai ahead of the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu.
During the meeting, a majority of the political parties commended the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the peaceful and smooth conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Additionally, most parties also submitted formal requests urging the ECI to conduct the upcoming elections in a single phase to ensure better management and transparency.
The session saw participation of several National Parties, which included the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress (INC), and the National People's Party (NPP).
Other state parties, such as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) , Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), also attended the meeting.
The political parties also urged the ECI to take stringent measures to curb the use of money power and distribution of freebies during elections. Some political parties asked for an increase in the number of flying squads to curb malpractices during elections.
Additionally, parties highlighted the need to consider major festival dates while finalising the election schedule. Responding to the concerns, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar assured that festival dates would be taken into account during the planning process and reiterated that elections in the state are consistently conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner. He emphasised that the Commission will strictly clamp down on inducement-related activities.
Senior officials of the Election Commission, including the Chief Election Commissioner of Tamil Nadu, were also present during the discussions.
Earlier, the ECI published the final electoral rolls for Tamil Nadu following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026.
According to an official release, the final electorate in the state is 5,67,07,380, which comprises 2,77,38,925 male voters, 2,89,60,838 female voters and 7,617 third gender voters.
The number of electors belonging to the age group of 18-19 years is 12.51 lakh, while the electors marked as persons with disabilities are 4.63 lakh, and senior citizen electors (85+) are 3.99 lakh.
As per the ECI, the revision was conducted in the state between October 27, 2025 and February 23, 2026, with January 1 as the qualifying date. As of October 27, the electoral roll had 6,41,14,587 enrolled voters.
After the completion of the Enumeration Phase, the draft roll was published on December 19, 2025, having a total of 5,43,76,756 electors.
Subsequently, during the period for filing claims and objections from December 19, 2025, to January 30, 2026, a total of 27.53 lakh eligible electors were added, while 4.23 lakh ineligible names were deleted.
Following the disposal of claims and objections, the Final Electoral Roll, 2026, was published on February 23, 2026, with a list of eligible electors. The release stated that claims and objections related to inclusion, deletion, and correction of entries were received and processed during the stipulated period, leading to the finalisation of the updated roll.