BJP defends Election Commission over voter deletion allegations in Telangana
BJP Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao on Sunday dismissed allegations of wrongdoing in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting that the exercise was being carried out entirely by the State government machinery under Election Commission supervision. Addressing a press conference at the party's State office, Mr. Rao said decisions on deleting voters' names were taken only after field-level verification by election officials.
Mr. Rao stressed that merely filing Form 7, used to raise objections regarding entries in the electoral roll, did not automatically result in deletion of a voter's name. He explained that any objection is subjected to due inquiry before action is taken, and clarified that no BJP Booth Level Agents had submitted Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters' names. He also rejected allegations levelled by Congress and AIMIM against the poll body regarding voter deletions.
Criticising the controversy, Mr. Rao alleged that Congress praised the electoral process when it won elections but questioned the system whenever it lost. He stated that questioning the people's mandate was an insult not only to voters but also to Indian democracy.
