Chennai: In response to a directive from the Madras High Court, the Tamil Nadu government has scheduled an important consultative meeting for November 6. This meeting will bring together all recognized political parties to collaboratively develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for conducting political campaigns across the state. This initiative comes in the wake of a devastating stampede during a rally in Karur, which tragically resulted in the deaths of 41 individuals, including children.
The state government, led by the DMK, has extended invitations to all political parties recognized by the Election Commission of India and those with representation in Parliament and the legislative assembly. Notably, actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), whose petition prompted the High Court’s order for SOP development, will not be participating in this specific meeting.
The proposed SOP is specifically designed to prevent tragedies like the one that occurred on the night of September 27 in Karur. Senior ministers and high-ranking state government officials will preside over the meeting, as stated in an official release.
Following the discussions, the government is committed to submitting the draft SOP to the bench of Chief Justice M.M. Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan by November 11, adhering to the court’s ten-day deadline set on October 26. The court had previously indicated that it would issue its own SOP if the government failed to meet this deadline. However, even before this directive, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had publicly pledged the government’s commitment to formulating these essential safety guidelines in consultation with experts, political parties, and activists.
In a related development, the DMK has also filed a petition with the Supreme Court concerning the implementation of a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.