Telangana BJP chief defends SIR, claims no conflict within EC

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao. File | Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR It was the turn of Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president N. Ramchander Rao to defend the Election Commission’s (EC) controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and accuse the Congress Party and its allies of “spreading misinformation and misleading the public”.Addressing a press conference at the party’s State office in Hyderabad on Tuesday (September 29, 2026), Mr. Rao alleged that Opposition parties attempted to create a “false impression” of internal differences within the Election Commission (EC). Referring to a recent statement issued jointly by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, he asserted that there were “no differences or conflicts” among the members of the poll panel.Mr. Rao said the Opposition also misrepresented the purpose of Form-6, which is used for fresh voter enrolment and claimed that the form had been validated by the Supreme Court, but was being deliberately misconstrued for political purposes.Questioning the Congress party’s criticism of the electoral process, he asked why it did not raise objections to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or other election procedures when it secured victories in States such as Kerala and Himachal Pradesh. “Are EVMs good when they win and bad when they lose?” he asked.The BJP leader further alleged that EC officials often received lucrative post-retirement appointments and honours during Congress-led governments. In contrast, he said, appointments under the current system were made through a process involving the Leader of the Opposition and “judicial oversight” to ensure neutrality.When U.S. President Donald Trump is appreciating India’s electoral system, it was “unfortunate” that the Congress Party was attempting to malign the institutions. He contended that the party’s criticism of the SIR exercise in Telangana contradicted earlier statements made by senior Congress leaders such as Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Sachin Pilot, who had spoken positively about aspects of the electoral process on previous occasions.The SIR exercise was to cleanse electoral rolls and eliminate bogus entries, maintained Mr. Rao and claimed that the EC has been conducting the process “safeguarding the rights of genuine and eligible voters”. He also took exception to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s recent remarks accusing him of attempting to divide Hindus for political gain.The BJP leader demanded an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister and alleged that the comments were politically motivated, particularly in the context of the proposed Khairatabad by-election following the disqualification of Danam Nagender. Published - September 29, 2026 03:38 pm IST