Political Tensions Rise Over Electoral Roll Revision in Telangana

NEW DELHI: Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Saturday accused Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of inciting discord among Muslims, disturbing law and order, and attempting to derail the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

While addressing the media in Hyderabad, the senior leader of the BJP alleged that the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was intimidating booth-level officers (BLOs) in the city’s old neighborhoods to obstruct household surveys. He claimed this effort was supported by the ruling Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

Kishan Reddy stated, “The Congress government and the Chief Minister are trying to threaten. At a recent gathering of Muslims, he warned that if precautions are not taken, they will lose their votes. It is an attempt to provoke the community, jeopardizing law and order and linking it with religion.”

Additionally, the Union Minister alleged that Rohingya migrants and individuals from Pakistan and Bangladesh are in possession of voter identity cards and other official documents in Hyderabad, accusing non-BJP parties of remaining silent on these issues. He pointed out instances of duplicate voting, stating that it is the Election Commission’s duty to rectify such irregularities.

Kishan Reddy insisted that the SIR exercise must continue despite what he referred to as “false allegations” from some political factions against the Election Commission.

Moreover, he accused the Congress government of undermining its own officials by questioning the legitimacy of the revision process, which is being conducted by state government employees. He emphasized, “Though the SIR is carried out by Telangana government employees, the CM, Congress, and BRS are spreading false information about the process due to a lack of trust in the staff.”

Alleging further interference by AIMIM, he claimed the party was hindering BLOs from conducting door-to-door verification in Hyderabad’s old city. He said, “In the old city, AIMIM is threatening BLOs, instructing them not to visit homes for surveys. They insist that they will provide the filled-out forms themselves and ask that no votes be removed, which has been ongoing for the last four months. Both Congress and BRS are fully collaborating in this effort.”

Kishan Reddy asserted that the revision would not adhere to the demands of AIMIM and reaffirmed BJP’s support for government employees if they faced threats while performing their duties.

He also accused Congress and BRS of seeking AIMIM’s political backing, referencing earlier statements made by Revanth Reddy where he indicated that “Congress means Muslims, and Muslims mean Congress,” while labeling himself as “Revanth Uddin.”

In light of Congress’ criticism regarding the electoral roll revision, Kishan Reddy questioned why they opposed the SIR in states like West Bengal and Bihar, yet remained silent in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where similar exercises were conducted.

The political tensions surrounding the SIR exercise in Telangana are intensifying, with Telangana Congress voicing concerns that the revision process could result in the removal of genuine voters from the electoral rolls.

Earlier this week, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed Congress ministers, MLAs, MPs, and constituency in-charges to stay alert during the SIR process and warned of stern action against any party leader who failed to adhere to organizational directives. He communicated these instructions via video conference following reports alleging the removal of legitimate voters’ names from electoral rolls.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Mahesh Kumar Goud expressed the party’s commitment to safeguarding citizens’ voting rights, ensuring that no eligible voter is disenfranchised during the exercise. He alleged that the revision process is being manipulated to target “secular votes” and stated that the party is closely monitoring developments.

Congress has also urged the Election Commission to conduct the revision transparently and without haste, arguing that major elections are not imminent in the state, allowing ample time for a thorough revision.