Chennai: Representatives of nine recognised political parties walked out of a meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik at the Secretariat in Chennai on Friday, October 23, 2026, to discuss the upcoming Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls. The parties recorded their views before leaving and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, The Hindu reported.

Source: The Hindu

The ruling TVK and its allies, as well as the DMK, the principal Opposition party in the State, were among those that staged the walkout. The Election Commission of India had invited six recognised national parties — the Congress, the BJP, the BSP, the AAP, the CPI(M) and the NPP — as well as seven recognised State parties — the TVK, the DMK, the AIADMK, the CPI, the NTK, the VCK and the DMDK — to the meeting, The Hindu reported. India Today's roundup of the day's developments reported that only the AIADMK and the BJP remained at the meeting.

Source: The Hindu

The walkout is the latest escalation in the political confrontation over the revision of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, where parties across the ruling and Opposition camps have objected to the revision exercise and have repeatedly demanded the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation. The parties' objections are their stated positions, reported as such; the Election Commission has maintained that the revision is a routine statutory exercise.

Source: India Today via News89

What is solid

  • Nine of the 12 recognised parties that attended the October 23 SSR meeting convened by CEO Archana Patnaik at the Chennai Secretariat walked out after recording their views (The Hindu).
  • The walkout included the ruling TVK and its allies and the principal Opposition DMK, and the parties demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation (The Hindu).
  • The ECI had invited six recognised national parties and seven recognised State parties to discuss the upcoming Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls (The Hindu).

What is only claimed

  • The parties' claim that the roll revision is being conducted improperly is their allegation and stated position; the Election Commission's position is that the revision follows its statutory process. No finding on the propriety of the exercise is made in this report.

The meeting was part of the poll machinery's consultations with political parties ahead of the Special Summary Revision, the periodic updating of electoral rolls. With nine parties — including both the ruling formation and the principal Opposition — walking out together, the consultation ended in a public rupture that is likely to sharpen the State's ongoing dispute with the Election Commission over how the rolls are being revised.