Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram has raised serious objections over the alleged addition of 6.5 lakh migrant workers to the voters’ list in Tamil Nadu, calling the move both "alarming" and "illegal." The statement comes amid a growing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, where the Election Commission of India (ECI) has dropped over 65 lakh voters, citing migration and untraceability.

In a sharp critique shared on social media, the former Union Home Minister said, “While 65 lakh voters are in danger of being disenfranchised in Bihar, report of adding 6.5 lakh persons as voters in Tamil Nadu is alarming and patently illegal.” He tagged the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) of Tamil Nadu, urging the state government to take cognisance of the issue.

Chidambaram questioned the legitimacy of such voter transfers and accused the ECI of attempting to alter the "electoral character" of states ahead of elections. Tamil Nadu is set to go to polls in 2026, and the development has triggered sharp political responses across the spectrum.

The Congress leader argued that migrant workers cannot be arbitrarily enrolled as voters in the state where they work, without considering their permanent legal residence. “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,” he said.

He further raised a constitutional question: “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?”

Chidambaram also suggested that the ECI’s move appears to be a deliberate attempt to manipulate demographic compositions for electoral advantage. “This abuse of powers must be resisted both politically and legally,” he stated, hinting at possible legal recourse.

Echoing similar concerns, DMK general secretary Duraimurugan said the inclusion of "guest workers" in Tamil Nadu’s voter list could alter the political landscape in the long run. “They came to work here as guest workers. Giving them voter IDs here will result in political change in the future,” he said.

Regional parties and civil society groups have also begun raising red flags over the matter, demanding greater transparency from the Election Commission regarding its methodology for voter additions and deletions during the SIR exercise.

While the ECI has maintained that the revision process is in line with legal and constitutional guidelines, opposition parties across multiple states now accuse the poll body of selective implementation and demographic manipulation in favour of the ruling party.