Renowned actor and founder-president of Makkal Needhi Maiam, Kamal Haasan, has raised what he described as an “imminent concern” over the forthcoming Assembly election in Tamil Nadu, linking public unease to the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls and warning against any erosion of citizens’ voting rights.Speaking on Wednesday while participating in the motion of thanks to the President’s address at the joint sitting of Parliament, Haasan said voters were eager to exercise their franchise but found themselves subject to heightened scrutiny. “People want to cast their vote, and commissions are checking their right to vote,” he told the House, framing the issue as a test of democratic confidence at a time when the state’s political temperature is steadily rising ahead of the polls.
The intervention places the spotlight on the special intensive revision process, a legally mandated exercise conducted periodically to update electoral rolls by removing duplicate entries, correcting errors, and enrolling eligible voters. While the exercise is intended to improve accuracy and integrity, opposition parties and civil society groups across several states have expressed concern that aggressive verification drives can inadvertently exclude genuine voters, particularly migrant workers, the urban poor, students and elderly citizens whose documentation may be incomplete or outdated.
Haasan’s remarks resonate in Tamil Nadu, where voter turnout has traditionally been high and electoral participation forms a core part of political identity. The MNM leader argued that the credibility of the election hinges not only on free campaigning but also on public trust that the rolls reflect the electorate fairly. Any perception that administrative checks are being used to question eligibility without adequate safeguards, he suggested, risks discouraging participation.
Officials involved in electoral administration have maintained that the revision is being carried out in accordance with established rules, with multiple avenues for appeal and correction available to voters. Booth-level officers, online portals and designated help centres are tasked with assisting citizens whose names are missing or whose details require rectification. The process, authorities say, is supervised at multiple levels to prevent arbitrary deletions.
Even so, the scale of the exercise has drawn scrutiny. Tamil Nadu has a large mobile population driven by industrial hubs, higher education centres and urbanisation, making roll maintenance particularly complex. Electoral experts note that special revisions, while necessary, require careful calibration and clear communication to avoid confusion. Transparency about criteria, timelines and grievance redressal mechanisms is critical to sustaining confidence, especially in a state known for close contests and intense political mobilisation.
Haasan’s intervention also carried symbolic weight because it was delivered during a debate responding to the address by Droupadi Murmu, a setting traditionally used by legislators to flag broad constitutional and governance concerns. By choosing this forum, the MNM founder elevated the issue from a state-level administrative matter to a question of democratic practice with national implications.
Within Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, the comments add another layer to an already crowded pre-election discourse dominated by debates on social justice, language policy, fiscal federalism and governance performance. Established parties have traded accusations over administrative neutrality in the past, and Haasan’s remarks may prompt sharper exchanges over the conduct of the revision exercise and the preparedness of the machinery ahead of polling.
MNM, which positions itself as a reform-oriented alternative in state politics, has consistently emphasised institutional integrity and transparency. Party functionaries say the concern expressed in Parliament aligns with their long-standing advocacy for clean electoral processes and citizen-centric governance. While MNM’s electoral footprint remains modest, Haasan’s stature as a public figure ensures that his statements carry disproportionate visibility and can shape wider debate.
Election scholars point out that disputes around voter rolls are not unique to any one state and have surfaced periodically across the country, often intensifying in election years. The challenge lies in balancing the imperative to prevent fraud with the constitutional guarantee of universal adult suffrage. Courts have repeatedly underscored that exclusion errors, even if unintended, can undermine the legitimacy of elections.