Amaravati, Oct 2026 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday criticised the INDIA bloc and other Opposition parties for questioning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), arguing that political parties should not raise objections to electoral processes selectively.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan and Andhra Pradesh BJP president P.V.N. Madhav, Naidu said EVMs had been introduced during a Congress-led government and questioned why the same technology was being criticised by Opposition parties after electoral defeats.
“When the Congress initiated the EVMs, the machines were very good. Now that you are losing elections, you are blaming the same machines. How can you justify this? Before criticising, everyone must think,” he said.
Naidu added that political parties needed the trust of the people rather than questioning the reliability of machines whenever election results did not favour them.
Naidu questions Opposition stand on SIR
The Chief Minister also defended the SIR process, asking political parties opposing the revision of electoral rolls to explain whether they had raised objections during the enumeration exercise.
He said political parties had workers in villages and that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) representing different parties had been invited to participate in the process, while Booth Level Officers (BLOs) coordinated the exercise.
“Have you raised any objection then? Why are you raising them now?” Naidu asked, rejecting allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.
He also claimed that YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had supported the SIR process earlier. According to Naidu, political parties could not endorse or oppose the same electoral exercise depending on their immediate political interests.
Responding to Opposition allegations of the deletion of genuine voters' names and so-called “vote chori”, Naidu argued that safeguards had improved over the years. He said the presence of CCTV cameras at polling locations helped prevent electoral malpractice, contrasting the current arrangements with the booth-rigging allegations associated with earlier elections.
The Opposition has raised concerns about the electoral roll revision and EVMs, while Naidu maintained that such allegations should be examined in light of the procedures followed during the electoral process.
Appeals for support in local body elections
Turning to the upcoming local body elections, Naidu appealed to voters to support the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the TDP, Jana Sena and BJP in Andhra Pradesh.
He stressed that strengthening local self-government institutions was essential for ensuring effective delivery of public services and accelerating development at the grassroots level.
“Today, we must remember that local bodies need to be strengthened. We have taken responsibility for ensuring that they receive the necessary funds. In a democracy, elections must be held at every level. Public representatives must remain accessible to the people and be responsible for getting their work done,” he said.
Naidu said the government had introduced direct elections in urban areas, arguing that the system would provide voters with an opportunity to choose their leaders directly and contribute to stability in local administration.
He also claimed that the coalition government was implementing the promises made before the Assembly elections and delivering welfare programmes intended to benefit different sections of society.
The Chief Minister said the TDP and its alliance partners had undertaken an extensive exercise to finalise candidates and distribute seats for the local body elections, describing the process as more detailed than the exercise conducted during the general elections.
He urged party members and aspirants to support candidates who had received official party B-forms, regardless of whether they had initially sought nominations themselves.
Naidu warned that disciplinary action would be taken against those who worked against the alliance's decisions, emphasising the need for unity among the three partners.
‘Double-engine government’ to drive development
Naidu described the coordination between the Centre and the state as a “double-engine government” and said an NDA victory in local body elections would provide what he called a “triple-engine pace of development”.
He appealed to voters to support the alliance and establish a new trend in local governance.
The Chief Minister also accused the YSRCP of taking advantage of the government's restraint and creating obstacles to development. The allegations formed part of the ruling coalition's criticism of its principal political rival ahead of the local body polls.
Pawan Kalyan highlights payments and investments
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan alleged that the previous YSRCP government had harassed government employees, while the present administration under Naidu had made payments totalling ₹30,000 crore to clear pending dues.
He also claimed that Andhra Pradesh had attracted investments worth ₹22 lakh crore and said the government was taking strict action against activities associated with ganja.
Pawan Kalyan said the NDA government was working towards the goal of Gram Swaraj by strengthening village-level governance and infrastructure.
Reacting to Jagan Mohan Reddy's remark about a possible “YSRCP 2.0”, Pawan Kalyan said the coalition would respond with “NDA 10X”.
“We have already demonstrated how firmly and courageously we stood our ground when they unleashed 'YSRCP 1.0'. We know how to protect the people from their violence. Only the weak resort to threats; the strong do not need to intimidate others,” he said.
Naidu also responded to the political rhetoric, questioning the meaning of the proposed “YSRCP 2.0” and urging political leaders to exercise responsibility in their public statements.
“They talk about '2.0'—what do they intend to do, 'eliminate' everyone? A political leader should speak with a sense of responsibility,” he said.
BJP backs coalition's governance agenda
Andhra Pradesh BJP president P.V.N. Madhav said the NDA government was focused on welfare, development and good governance.
He reiterated that the alliance remained committed to delivering welfare measures while advancing development under the leadership of the NDA.
The joint press conference highlighted the coalition's position on electoral processes, local governance and development ahead of the local body elections, while underscoring the political differences between the ruling alliance and the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh.
