Telangana BJP rejects claims of improper voter deletions during roll review

Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao has rejected allegations of improper voter deletions during the continuing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, saying decisions were made only after verification by election officials. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Rao said the exercise was being conducted by the state government machinery under the supervision of the Election Commission.

He said the process required officials to examine objections before taking action against an entry. Rao said Form 7, which is used to raise objections to electoral-roll entries, did not automatically result in a voter’s name being removed. He described the mechanism as a way to identify potentially fake or duplicate entries and said each objection was subject to an inquiry.

He also said no BJP booth-level agents had submitted Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of voters’ names. Rao criticised what he called an unnecessary commotion over an issue that was still under investigation. The BJP leader accused Congress of praising the electoral process when it won elections but questioning it when it lost.

He also criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for reportedly describing elections as a farce and calling for their cancellation. Rao said such comments insulted voters and alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others were weakening confidence in constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission, the presidency and the Supreme Court. He said the BJP would oppose efforts to discredit democratic institutions.

BJP spokesperson N.V. Subash separately told AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi to use legal channels if he had evidence that BJP or Sangh Parivar workers were filing objections to remove genuine voters. Owaisi had alleged that such applications were being submitted, according to the supplied report.