Union Minister G Kishan Reddy criticized Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the Congress party of engaging in 'false propaganda' and attempting to incite communities over the issue.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday lambasted Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the Congress party is engaging in "false propaganda" while asserting that people are no longer paying attention to such narratives.
Kishan Reddy Defends ECI, Explains SIR Process
Addressing the media here on the SIR of electoral rolls, the Union Minister defended the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that it is an independent constitutional body responsible for correcting voter lists and removing irregular entries. "The Election Commission is an independent body vested with full authority to rectify electoral rolls specifically to remove bogus votes, eliminate duplicate or triplicate entries, and delete names that have been illegally included in the voter lists. The SIR exercise, aimed at correcting errors, registering new voters, and updating transfers from one location to another, is now set to begin in Telangana as well," Kishan Reddy said.
Union Minister Questions CM's Knowledge and Motives
He further targeted the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, stating that the Telangana CM has "attempted to incite the community" while choosing to attend a Muslim conference to address the issue of SIR. "However, the CM of Telangana has chosen to attend a Muslim conference to address the issue of SIR, attempting to incite the community ... Does the CM himself not trust his own state government employees? For it is the state government employees who actually execute the SIR work. This entire process is conducted under the leadership of state government officials, including District Collectors, the Chief Secretary, Tehsildars, and Municipal Commissioners," he added.
The Union Minister asserted that the Telangana Chief Minister appeared to be so "ill-informed" that he does not even know whose responsibility it is to carry out the work. "The Chief Minister appears to be so ill-informed that he does not even know whose responsibility it is to carry out the work. Election Commission officials themselves do not visit the villages to execute this process... You possess the right to observe, offer suggestions, raise objections, and lodge formal complaints," he said.
'Congress Indulging in Divisive Politics': Kishan Reddy
Taking a swipe at the Opposition party, Kishan Reddy alleged that the Congress party was indulging in divisive politics and misinformation campaigns. He also said that the party wages a relentless campaign of false propaganda and spreading lies against the BJP, the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, and Parliament. "Yet, the Congress Party -- whose mass base is dwindling to zero in every state across the country -- chooses instead to engage in politics in the name of caste and religion. The public, quite rightly, pays absolutely no heed to such issues. Instead, the Congress Party wages a relentless campaign of false propaganda: spreading lies against the BJP, the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, Parliament... This very Congress Party goes to the extent of working against national interests by spreading falsehoods even abroad; they disseminate lies against democracy and the Constitution itself... We must observe the attitude of the Congress Party and take note of the misleading propaganda they are disseminating..." he added.
He reiterated that the Congress party's campaign does not resonate with the public and accused it of repeatedly targeting and questioning constitutional institutions.
ECI Announces SIR Schedule for Telangana
This comes after the Election Commission on May 14 announced the conduct of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase-III of electoral rolls across 16 States and three Union Territories, covering over 36 crore electors in a phased manner.
According to the press note issued by the Commission, the exercise has been planned in coordination with the ongoing house listing component of the Census to ensure optimal use of field machinery.
For Telangana, the qualifying date is October 1, 2026. The preparation phase will be conducted from June 15, 2026, to June 24, 2026, followed by BLO visits from June 25, 2026, to July 24, 2026. Rationalisation will be completed by July 24, 2026. The draft roll will be published on July 31, 2026, with claims and objections open from July 31, 2026, to August 30, 2026. The notice phase and disposal will continue from July 31, 2026, to September 28, 2026, and the final roll will be published on October 1, 2026, as per the poll body.
It further stated that the revision will cover the entire country under Phase-III, except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, where the schedule will be announced separately. "After considering the completion of Phase-II of the Census in these three State/UTs and due consideration of the weather in the upper reaches/snow-bound areas, the SIR schedule for these three State/UTs will be announced later," it added.
The ECI emphasised that the exercise is participatory and involves all stakeholders, including electors, political parties and election officials. (ANI)
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