Hyderabad: Minister Vakiti Srihari on Wednesday alleged that about 70,000 votes had been deleted in the Makthal Assembly constituency and demanded protection of voting rights.
Srihari, who holds the Sports, Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Youth Services portfolios, made the allegation at a meeting in his Makthal camp office. He said voting rights were as important to citizens as the right to life. Denying a citizen the right to vote amounted to undermining democracy, he said.
The Minister said the alleged Makthal voter deletion required attention because citizens should not lose their voting rights. Srihari said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called for peaceful protests across the country with the stated objective of protecting voting rights.
Makthal voter deletion allegation raises demand for clarity
Srihari said the Election Commission had a responsibility to address objections raised over revisions to electoral rolls. He referred to opposition allegations that the Election Commission was acting in favour of the Central Government. He said the commission should provide clarity to the public on those claims and objections over voter-list revisions.
The Minister also referred to opposition protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Srihari argued that attempts to suppress protests held in connection with that demand were contrary to the spirit of democracy.
He strongly condemned the arrest of Rahul Gandhi during a peaceful protest against the Election Commission. The Minister further alleged that Gyanesh Kumar was involved in attempts to undermine citizens’ voting rights. The allegation was made in the context of the ongoing dispute over electoral rolls.
Srihari said the Congress would organise larger protests in the coming days to protect voting rights. He maintained that the party would continue its campaign until citizens’ voting rights were protected.
The Minister linked his call for further protests to the alleged Makthal voter deletion and broader objections over electoral-roll revisions. He said the Election Commission should address the questions being raised and provide clarity to citizens about the revision process.