Hyderabad: Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Thursday urged voters to closely monitor the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He asked people to complete electoral roll verification and ensure their names remained registered.
The Minister said voters should carefully check the draft electoral rolls for their names. If any eligible voter’s name was missing, the person could file a claim or objection. They could also seek restoration of their vote with help from local Booth Level Agents and Booth Level Officers.
“Voting is a constitutional right guaranteed to every citizen. I urge leaders to pay special attention to the issue and ensure that no eligible voter is left out,” he said.
Komatireddy made the appeal in Nalgonda town after paying floral tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s statue. The programme marked Rajiv Gandhi’s 82nd birth anniversary.
Electoral roll verification needs close attention
Komatireddy said political leaders should pay particular attention to electoral roll verification during the SIR exercise. He stressed that eligible citizens should not lose their voting rights because their names were absent from the rolls.
Accordingly, he advised people to approach BLAs and BLOs if they found omissions in the draft electoral roll. Voters could use the claims and objections process to seek inclusion or restoration of their names, he said.
The Minister later recalled Rajiv Gandhi’s contribution to India’s development. He said the former Prime Minister played an important role in laying the foundation for a modern, technology-driven country.
Komatireddy described Rajiv Gandhi as a visionary who introduced several major changes during his tenure. According to him, those initiatives helped prepare India for technological and social changes in the following decades.
Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister when he was 40 years old. At the time, he was the youngest person to hold the country’s highest elected executive office.
“Rajiv Gandhi did not serve the country merely as a Prime Minister. He was a visionary leader who anticipated the needs of future India and guided the nation in that direction,” Komatireddy said.
The Minister said Rajiv Gandhi understood the growing importance of emerging technologies as the world moved rapidly towards a technological revolution. In particular, he credited the former Prime Minister with recognising the potential of computers and telecommunications.
“The importance he accorded to computers and telecommunications laid a strong foundation for the Digital India that we see today. His decisions aimed at expanding information technology from villages to cities reflected his remarkable foresight,” he said.
Komatireddy also referred to Rajiv Gandhi’s decision to reduce the voting age from 21 years to 18 years. He said the change empowered millions of young Indians to participate in deciding the country’s future.
Electoral roll verification appeal followed Rajiv Gandhi tribute
During the programme, Komatireddy also spoke about Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. He said Rahul Gandhi had followed his father’s footsteps and continued to uphold his ideals.
The Minister said Rahul Gandhi had fought for the interests of the country’s youth despite facing police repression. He also backed Rahul Gandhi for the country’s top elected office.
“There is a need for Rahul Gandhi to become the Prime Minister of the country,” Komatireddy said.
He further referred to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Minister said the Congress leader had undertaken the march by rising above political considerations.
According to Komatireddy, the yatra conveyed the message that every citizen was equal. He said it also emphasised that hatred should have no place among people.
Earlier, his electoral roll verification appeal focused on protecting the voting rights of eligible citizens during the SIR. He asked voters to check the draft rolls rather than assume that their names remained registered.
The Minister said local election functionaries could assist voters whose names were missing. Therefore, affected voters could approach BLAs and BLOs and use the prescribed claims and objections process to seek restoration of their vote.