Hyderabad: Dr. M. Shashidhar Reddy, former Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Chairman of the BJP Telangana State Election Commission Affairs Committee, has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of deliberately manufacturing panic over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the state elections.
“Rahul Gandhi is once again trying to recycle his old ‘Vote Chori’ narrative, just as he did during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” Reddy said in a statement. “This is nothing but a calculated attempt to mislead voters, undermine the Election Commission, and weaken trust in our democratic institutions.”
Reddy pointed out that Gandhi had earlier raised unfounded doubts about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), even claiming to have “proof” of rigging, though senior leaders within his own I.N.D.I. Alliance, including Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, had rejected such allegations. “Despite Congress securing its highest vote share in 35 years in 2024, Rahul Gandhi still clung to the falsehood of rigged elections, threatening to drop an ‘atom bomb’ of evidence which never materialised,” he said.
Turning to Bihar’s electoral roll revision, Reddy explained that the draft roll published on August 1 listed 7.24 crore voters, down from 7.89 crore in January, following field verifications by Booth Level Officers and Agents. About 65 lakh deletions — roughly 8.2% — were made, including 22 lakh dead voters, 7 lakh duplicates, and 35 lakh who had migrated or were untraceable.
“Critics ask how 22 lakh people could ‘suddenly’ die in seven months,” Reddy said. “The fact is that such names accumulate over years when they are not promptly deleted. The SIR is precisely the mechanism to clean up the rolls and prevent impersonation and bogus voting.”
He emphasised that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had put in place clear safeguards, including allowing claims and objections until September 1. “With an average of just 84 deletions per booth, party agents can easily verify the names within a week. The ECI has been issuing daily bulletins — the latest showing nearly 2 lakh claims and over 8.5 lakh new applications. Any genuine omission will be corrected,” he added.
Recalling his experience with Telangana’s 2018 revision that uncovered 68 lakh discrepancies, Reddy said the Bihar figures were “modest and justified.”
Slamming the Congress for launching a “Vote Adhikaar Yatra” instead of engaging with the process, he said: “This hysteria is a transparent stunt to spread confusion. By ignoring due process and resorting to propaganda, Rahul Gandhi is not just insulting the Election Commission, he is emboldening forces that want to erode public faith in Indian democracy. This deserves uncompromising condemnation.”
