Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday accused the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre of conspiring to remove Congress supporters from the electoral rolls in states governed by opposition parties.
Addressing Congress leaders and workers in his Kodangal Assembly constituency, Reddy alleged that the BJP was seeking to delete the names of Congress voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to improve its prospects in Telangana’s next Assembly elections.
He further claimed that the BJP had won elections in Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal by getting votes removed during the revision of electoral rolls. The party was now pursuing a similar strategy in Telangana, with Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and minority voters among those being targeted, he alleged.
“We will not sit quietly and are ready to counter the BJP’s ploy to remove the names of Congress supporters,” Reddy said, adding that party workers would not tolerate any such attempt.
The chief minister also accused the BJP of previously using central investigative agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, against political opponents. Having relied on these agencies during earlier elections, the BJP was now attempting to manipulate electoral rolls, he alleged.
Reddy objected to voters’ names allegedly being removed over minor discrepancies and accused the Bharat Rashtra Samithi of supporting the BJP’s efforts to weaken the Congress.
Calling the protection of voting rights a collective responsibility of Congress leaders and workers, he directed the party’s booth-level agents to coordinate closely in villages and ensure that economically disadvantaged voters were not excluded from the rolls.
Reddy also asked every division-level Congress leader to take responsibility for four villages and monitor the electoral revision process across polling booths.
“Everyone should remain vigilant and thwart the conspiracies of the BJP and BRS,” he said.