Amid ongoing protests in Delhi over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, Tamil Nadu’s ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is set to join the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s campaign against CEC over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.According to news agency PTI, TVK, Congress and other opposition constituents will stage a protest in Chennai on Thursday, October 15.The protest comes amid a widening rift between Congress and the DMK, which has distanced itself from Congress-led agitations and accused its former ally of betrayal.The “protect democracy” agitation will be led by Congress MP B Manickam Tagore, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) said in a statement. The demonstration is scheduled for 10 am at Ramada Circle on Langs Garden Road in Egmore, with leaders from all seven constituent parties expected to participate.The protest will mark TVK’s first participation in an agitation seeking the CEC’s removal since the party joined the INDIA bloc on October 3, 2026.According to the TNCC, participants will include TVK leader and School Education Minister A Rajmohan, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president and MP Thol Thirumavalavan, and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko.Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) chief KM Kader Mohideen, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary P Shanmugam, Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary M Veerapandian, and CPI (Marxist-Leninist) state secretary Pala Asaithamby are also expected to attend. Nivedit Alva, the All India Congress Committee’s in-charge for Tamil Nadu, will be among the Congress functionaries present, the party said.Tagore had earlier described TVK’s entry into the INDIA bloc as “historic”, saying the expansion would strengthen the opposition alliance against the BJP.He had also announced the October 15 demonstration as a joint mobilisation over the SIR and the demand for action against the CEC.
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DMK skips agitation amid alliance rift
The protest comes amid a widening political rift between the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which said on October 12 that it had exited the INDIA bloc following what it termed a betrayal by the Congress.In a statement, the DMK accused Congress leaders, including Tagore, Girish Chodankar and Praveen Chakravarthy, of making repeated remarks against the Dravidian party while the two parties were allies. It alleged that the Congress had acted as a “sleeper cell of another party” within the DMK-led alliance and blamed the SIR issue and the Congress leaders’ comments for contributing to its electoral defeat.The upcoming protest follows a meeting between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Vijay on October 10, after TVK joined the INDIA bloc. The two leaders were seen leaving Vijay’s residence together before sharing coffee at Palavakkam.
