Voter Names Are Being Deleted in the Name of SIR – Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy

Telangana Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has accused the BJP-led Central Government of using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to remove voters’ names, allegedly with the support of the Election Commission. He said Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had been raising concerns about SIR for the past two years and claimed that the issue of voter deletions had now come to light. Ponguleti said the Congress was demanding a thorough review of the names removed from the electoral rolls and the restoration of voting rights to eligible voters. He also accused the Central Government and the Election Commission of pretending to be unaware of the issue. According to the minister, the INDIA bloc plans to organise protests across the country on November 1 to raise concerns over the alleged deletions.

Ponguleti further alleged that the Central Government had been creating obstacles for the INDIA bloc over the past ten days. He said the bloc had sought permission to travel by train for its planned activities but had not received approval from the Centre. The minister also criticised the authorities for not providing trains and coaches, stating that the railways did not belong exclusively to the Central Government or the BJP. He said the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) had organised protests on the day to oppose the non-allocation of trains and coaches. Ponguleti added that the Congress would continue to highlight what it described as irregularities and alleged high-handedness by the Central Government. These statements reflect the minister’s allegations against the Centre and the Election Commission.