CM Revanth Reddy Alleges BRS-BJP Plot to Delete Congress Votes in Kodangal

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has accused the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of working in tandem to weaken the Congress by allegedly attempting to remove the names of its supporters from the electoral rolls in Kodangal Assembly constituency during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.

Addressing a meeting of Congress Booth Level Agents (BLAs) and senior party leaders in Kodangal of Vikarabad district, Revanth Reddy claimed that the opposition parties had shifted their focus to his constituency because of his growing political influence in Telangana. He alleged that while the BRS and BJP may be rivals publicly, they shared a common objective of politically targeting him and reducing the Congress' electoral strength.

The Chief Minister alleged that instead of confronting him politically, the two parties were trying to influence the voter revision exercise by seeking the deletion of names belonging to Congress supporters, particularly in Kodangal. He maintained that the alleged move was intended to erode the party's support base ahead of future elections.

The allegations come at a time when the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is underway across the state to update electoral rolls by enrolling eligible voters, deleting duplicate or ineligible entries, and correcting voter details. The exercise is scheduled to conclude on August 3, making it a politically significant process for all major parties.

Urging party workers to intensify the enrolment drive, Revanth Reddy said nearly 22% of voter registrations in Kodangal were still pending. He cited constituency figures showing that while 1.96 lakh applications had already been submitted, around 54,600 eligible registrations were yet to be completed. He asked Congress BLAs to ensure that every eligible citizen's name is included in the electoral rolls before the deadline, setting an internal target of July 30 to achieve complete coverage.

The Chief Minister also underscored the importance of voter registration, stating that an individual's inclusion in the electoral roll is often linked to access to several government welfare programmes. He referred to schemes such as Kalyana Lakshmi, Shaadi Mubarak, free fine rice, Indiramma housing, 200 units of free electricity, ₹500 LPG cylinders, and fee reimbursement for students, while urging party workers to assist eligible residents in completing the registration process.

The voter list revision has emerged as a politically sensitive issue in Telangana, with both the ruling Congress and the opposition closely monitoring the exercise. While the Congress has alleged attempts to disenfranchise its supporters, opposition parties have also called on their cadres to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded from the final electoral rolls, setting the stage for a closely watched contest over voter registration in the run-up to future elections.