ECI holds all-Party meeting in Chennai ahead of Tamil Nadu elections, Parties seek single-phase polls

The Election Commission of India on Thursday held an all-party meeting in Chennai as part of its preparations for the upcoming elections in Tamil Nadu, according to reports by ANI.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, led the discussions. Senior officials, including Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo, were also present.

The meeting brought together representatives from national and regional parties to review poll preparedness and discuss concerns ahead of the electoral exercise.

Parties seek single-phase polls

A majority of the parties appreciated the peaceful conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. However, several parties formally urged the Commission to conduct the upcoming elections in a single phase, arguing that it would ensure smoother management and greater transparency.

Concerns over money power and the distribution of freebies during elections were also raised. Some parties suggested increasing the number of flying squads to curb malpractices on the ground.

Festival dates to be considered, says CEC

With Tamil Nadu’s packed festive calendar, parties requested the Commission to keep major festival dates in mind while finalising the poll schedule.

Responding to the concerns, Gyanesh Kumar assured representatives that festival dates would be taken into account during planning. He reiterated that elections in the state are consistently conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner and stressed that the Commission will strictly clamp down on inducement-related activities.

National and State Parties Participate

The meeting was attended by representatives from national parties including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress (INC), and National People’s Party (india political party) (NPP).

Among the state parties present were the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).

Final Electoral Roll 2026 published

Earlier, the Election Commission published the Final Electoral Roll, 2026, after completing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

According to an official release, the final electorate in Tamil Nadu stands at 5,67,07,380. This includes 2,77,38,925 male voters, 2,89,60,838 female voters and 7,617 third gender voters.

The data also shows that 12.51 lakh electors belong to the 18–19 age group. Electors marked as persons with disabilities number 4.63 lakh, while senior citizen electors (85+) stand at 3.99 lakh.

How the revision was conducted

The revision exercise was carried out 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 Enumeration Phase, the draft roll published on December 19, 2025 had a total of 5,43,76,756 electors.

During the claims and objections period from December 19, 2025 to January 30, 2026, 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. The Commission said 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.