DMK Backs Akhilesh’s Unity Call to Defeat BJP

• DMK backs Akhilesh Yadav’s call for opposition unity.
• Elangovan says defeating BJP is more important than seat-sharing.
• DMK alleges anti-BJP voters are being removed from electoral rolls.
• Elangovan questions the Election Commission’s neutrality.

GG News Bureau
Chennai, 5th Oct: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday backed Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s call for opposition alliance unity, saying the priority should be to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rather than focus on the number of seats allotted to individual parties.

The DMK’s support comes amid reports of differences between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Yadav had on Sunday said the larger objective should be to defeat the BJP and protect democracy, the Constitution and reservation. Responding to his position, DMK spokesperson T K Elangovan said the party supported the SP president’s stand.

“The alliance should win and defeat the BJP. One party getting two or three seats more is not the question. Everybody should stand united to defeat the BJP,” Elangovan told PTI Videos. The DMK leader also launched a strong attack on the Election Commission, alleging that anti-BJP voters were being removed from electoral rolls.

Reacting to the controversy over the alleged deletion of genuine voters from electoral lists, a matter that has reached the Supreme Court, Elangovan accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate voter rolls to target particular communities.

“BJP is doing everything. They want to remove the voters. Particularly, they are using the revision to remove people of other religions because they will not vote for the BJP. So anti-BJP voters’ names are being removed continuously,” he alleged.

Elangovan also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He described the alleged deletion of voters as a “very serious offence” and claimed that the poll panel was no longer functioning as a neutral institution.

“The Election Commission is a neutral body. But after Gyanesh Kumar had come, it is not a neutral body,” he claimed, further alleging that the Chief Election Commissioner was functioning under the influence of the ruling party at the Centre.

The DMK leader also rejected claims that the Tamil Nadu government had saved around Rs 187 crore through pulses procurement.

“They will claim anything. They have not procured, so the money is saved. Maybe that is the reason. They have not done any good to the people of Tamil Nadu,” Elangovan said.

The Tamil Nadu government had announced savings of approximately Rs 187.56 crore over three months in the procurement of tur dal for ration shops. According to the government, transparent open tenders helped eliminate excess commissions and reduced the procurement price from Rs 109.15 per kg under the previous DMK regime to Rs 77.89 per kg.

Asked about a petition filed by private bus operators before the Madras High Court challenging the women’s free bus travel scheme on the ground that it was affecting their business, Elangovan said private operators were opposed to providing free travel to women.

“Private bus owners do not want to give free travel to women. The court will decide on this,” he said.

The DMK’s comments come as opposition parties face the challenge of maintaining unity and finalising seat-sharing arrangements ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where the BJP is expected to remain a central political force.