BJP Seeks Removal of Illegal Immigrants From Voter Rolls During Telangana SIR Exercise

Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Sunday said that the names of any Rohingyas or Bangladeshi nationals found in electoral rolls should be removed during the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Telangana.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, the senior BJP leader urged all political parties to cooperate with the Election Commission of India in the revision process and appoint booth-level agents (BLAs) to assist officials. He said only Indian citizens should be included in voter lists and alleged that illegal immigrants had managed to secure voter registrations in some regions.

Reddy said BJP booth-level agents would fully support election authorities to identify and remove any ineligible names from the rolls. Targeting the Indian National Congress, he questioned why party leader Rahul Gandhi was opposing similar verification exercises conducted elsewhere in the country.

The union minister also accused Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of politicising the SIR process and making “provocative” remarks against election officials.

The Telangana Chief Electoral Officer had earlier announced that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls would begin in the state from June 15. The exercise is aimed at updating voter lists by removing duplicate, deceased or ineligible voters and adding eligible citizens.

The remarks have once again brought attention to the Rohingya refugee issue in India. Rohingyas are a Muslim minority community from Myanmar who fled large-scale violence in 2017 and sought refuge in neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh and India. Small Rohingya settlements exist in parts of Hyderabad and other Indian cities.

While the BJP has repeatedly raised concerns over illegal immigration and alleged voter fraud, opposition parties and human rights groups have cautioned against targeting genuine residents and vulnerable refugee communities during verification drives.