Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy alleged that the BJP and BRS were working together to remove Congress-supporting voters through SIR. He claimed the BJP-BRS vote deletion effort particularly targeted SC, ST and minority voters. Revanth made the allegations during a meeting with local Congress leaders and workers at his Kodangal residence.
He accused the BJP-led Central government of using voter deletion to gain an electoral advantage. Moreover, he alleged that the party was using SIR to remove voters considered supportive of Congress.
Revanth claimed the BJP had followed a similar strategy during elections in Maharashtra, Bihar and Bengal. He further alleged that the party was now attempting the same strategy in Telangana.
BJP-BRS vote deletion targets weaker sections: Revanth
The Chief Minister alleged that the BJP was particularly targeting SC, ST and minority voters ahead of future elections. He accused authorities of using minor errors as grounds to remove poor people from electoral rolls. However, he did not provide specific examples in the remarks provided.
Revanth also alleged that the BJP had previously used the ED and CBI against opposition parties. Now, he claimed, the party was directly targeting voters through electoral roll deletions.
Furthermore, Revanth accused the BRS of supporting the BJP in what he described as a plan to defeat Congress. He called on Congress leaders and workers to counter what he termed BJP and BRS conspiracies in Telangana.
Revanth asked people to protect their voting rights. He also said Congress leaders and workers had a responsibility to safeguard voters from deletion. Accordingly, he instructed party workers to coordinate Booth Level Agents village by village. He asked one leader to take responsibility for every four villages.
Moreover, Revanth directed the cadre to closely monitor every polling booth. He said they should ensure that authorities did not remove even one eligible voter from the rolls. The Chief Minister also spoke about his relationship with Kodangal. He said the support of local people had helped the constituency gain recognition at the national level.
Revanth described the affection of Kodangal residents as his political strength. Meanwhile, he reiterated his call for the Congress organisation to remain alert during the electoral roll process. He maintained that the BJP-BRS vote deletion allegation required Congress workers to closely monitor voter lists across Telangana.