BJP chief accepts Minister’s challenge on SIR

State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao accepted the challenge thrown by Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar over the alleged deletion of voters’ names during the electoral roll revision process and asked the Minister to produce affected voters along with documentary evidence before the Chief Electoral Officer.Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Hyderabad, Mr. Rao said the Congress leader should fix a date and time and bring at least 10 persons who claim to have lost their voting rights. He said he would personally attend a verification exercise at the CEO’s office to examine the records. According to him, there is a clear distinction between a “missing” vote and a “deleted” vote, and no eligible voter’s name can be removed without prior notice and field-level verification.Mr. Rao maintained that if any genuine case of wrongful deletion is established, corrective steps could be taken immediately in accordance with election rules. At the same time, he challenged the Congress to apologise if it failed to substantiate its allegations. He also alleged that Congress leaders were attempting to divert public attention from issues such as the drought situation affecting farmers in the State.The BJP leader also launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, accusing him of using references to Hindu deities for political gains. Criticising remarks made by the Chief Minister at a Congress event, Mr. Rao alleged that the Congress was indulging in vote-bank politics while attempting to portray itself as the protector of Hindu values. He further questioned the party’s past positions on issues relating to Lord Rama and Ayodhya Ram Mandir.He claimed that the Congress government had failed to focus on pressing issues affecting Telangana, including drought conditions, drinking water shortages and power-related concerns. He said BJP leaders had toured several drought-hit areas and interacted with affected farmers. The BJP State president also raised concerns over the spread of narcotics in Telangana, alleging that drugs such as ganja, cocaine and MDMA were increasingly available in the State. He urged the government to take stronger measures against the drug menace and focus on protecting youth.Several senior BJP leaders, including party office-bearers and spokespersons, were present at the press conference. Published - October 12, 2026 09:14 pm IST