Telangana voter deletion row: BJP chief accepts Ponnam’s challenge, seeks 10 affected voters

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Monday accepted Minister Ponnam Prabhakar’s challenge over alleged voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Rao asked the Transport Minister to produce at least 10 voters who allegedly lost their voting rights during the revision.

He also urged Ponnam to fix a date and time for visiting the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office. There, officials could verify the electoral records of the complainants. The Telangana voter deletion row followed Ponnam’s demand for evidence concerning the alleged removal of voters from electoral rolls.

Telangana voter deletion row: Rao demands proof

Responding to the Congress minister, Rao challenged him to bring 10 affected voters for immediate verification. He also referred to AIMIM leaders Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi while criticising Ponnam.

“As far as I know, your Majlis friends – Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi – are your only support. You can bring them along too if you want,” Rao said. He proposed checking the records on computers at the CEO’s office to establish whether the names were missing or deleted.

Meanwhile, Rao maintained that authorities had not deleted any eligible voter’s name without prior notice and a field-level inquiry. He said officials should take corrective action under the rules if verification established any wrongful deletion.

Furthermore, the BJP president demanded an apology from Ponnam if he failed to substantiate the allegations. Rao also accused Congress leaders of ignoring farmers affected by drought while concentrating on political protests in Delhi.