Telangana CM alleges voter deletions under electoral roll revision; warns that undermining Election Commission’s credibility could erode public faith in democracy
Hyderabad/New Delhi, October 2026 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday described the ongoing campaign to protect citizens’ voting rights as another freedom movement, arguing that a fresh struggle was necessary to safeguard the constitutional right to vote.
Addressing a meeting at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi as part of the Congress campaign ‘Vote Bachao... Desh Bachao’ (Save Vote, Save Country), Reddy recalled the sacrifices made by Congress leaders during the struggle against British colonial rule. He said the country now faced a situation in which citizens had to unite to defend their voting rights.
Drawing a parallel with the ‘Simon Go Back’ movement during the freedom struggle, the Chief Minister called for protests under the slogans ‘Gyanesh Go Back’ and ‘SIR Go Back’. The remarks were reported in a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
Reddy said the campaign against alleged ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) was being led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and leaders of parties in the INDIA alliance.
He alleged that the Narendra Modi government was conspiring with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to delete voters’ names under the pretext of revising electoral rolls. The allegations form part of the Opposition’s criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
‘Voting Rights Are a Powerful Weapon of the People’
The Telangana Chief Minister said the Constitution, drafted under the leadership of B.R. Ambedkar after Independence, empowered citizens with the right to vote, giving them a powerful instrument to determine the country’s political future.
According to Reddy, voting rights played a crucial role in ending monarchical and dynastic forms of rule and transferring political power into the hands of the people.
He argued that the present electoral roll revision exercise differed from earlier SIR exercises conducted in India. Referring to the process during Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure in 1950, he said it had helped extend voting rights to people who did not previously possess them.
He recalled that people were asked to provide details about the regions they had moved from and where they had settled following Partition. The exercise, he said, was intended to establish electoral eligibility and facilitate the inclusion of citizens in the democratic process.
Reddy also referred to electoral roll revisions undertaken during the governments led by Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, arguing that the focus had been on identifying eligible citizens whose names were missing from voter lists.
“In contrast, under the current Modi-Amit Shah administration, attempts are being made to remove the names of people who already possess voting rights,” he alleged.
Questions Over the Election Commission’s Independence
Reddy accused the Central government of using agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Income Tax Department and Narcotics Control Bureau to target political opponents. He alleged that the SIR exercise was being used as another means of dealing with political rivals.
Emphasising that the Election Commission of India is a constitutional body expected to function independently and impartially, the Chief Minister cautioned against using such institutions for political purposes.
He expressed concern that any damage to the Election Commission’s credibility could weaken public confidence in the electoral process and undermine faith in the country’s democratic system.
The Chief Minister also referred to changes in the structure and appointment process of the Election Commission. He recalled that the institution had earlier functioned under a single Election Commissioner before a three-member system was introduced during the government of P.V. Narasimha Rao.
According to Reddy, the three-member arrangement strengthened transparency in the functioning of the institution.
He further said that the earlier appointment framework involved the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition, which he described as an important safeguard for impartiality.
Reddy criticised the changes introduced by the Modi government in 2023, under which the Union Home Minister replaced the Chief Justice of India in the selection committee responsible for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. He alleged that the changes were intended to facilitate decisions favourable to the government.
The Chief Minister stressed that the appointment process must ensure the independence and impartiality of election commissioners, arguing that public confidence in electoral institutions was essential to the health of democracy.
Congress Leaders Attend Campaign Meeting
The meeting at Telangana Bhavan was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Mahesh Kumar Goud, AICC observer Sachin Sawant, Members of Parliament, MLAs, MLCs and other senior party leaders.
The gathering formed part of the Congress-led ‘Vote Bachao... Desh Bachao’ campaign, which seeks to raise concerns over electoral roll revisions and what the party describes as threats to citizens’ voting rights.
Reddy called for collective efforts to protect the right to vote, presenting the issue as central to preserving constitutional values and democratic accountability.
The allegations made by the Chief Minister against the Centre and the Election Commission reflect the Congress party’s position on the SIR exercise and the appointment process for election commissioners.
