Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar challenged BJP state president Ramachandra Rao over deletion of names from the voter list under SIR. He demanded production of documents of affected voters and making public the official figures of deleted votes.

Hyderabad: The political controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists has intensified in Telangana. State minister Ponnam Prabhakar has challenged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Ramachandra Rao, claiming that he will bring forward with evidence those people whose names have been removed from the voter list. He said that BJP leaders should decide the date and time, he is ready to present the facts of the entire matter based on the records of the Election Commission. Describing this controversy as an issue to democratic rights, the Minister has raised serious questions on the process of removing names from the voter list.

Ponnam Prabhakar challenges BJP state president

Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, while talking to the media, targeted BJP state president Ramachandra Rao and other BJP leaders. He said that the matter of deletion of names from voter list should be discussed on the basis of facts and official records instead of mere rhetoric.

According to the minister, he is ready to bring forward those people whose voting rights have been affected due to their names being removed from the voter list. He asked the BJP state president to fix the date and time for the meeting. After this he will present his side along with the affected people and documents.

Ponnam Prabhakar clarified that her aim is not to escalate the controversy through police action or arrests. He wants that the plight of citizens who have faced problems to voter list should be directly revealed and the matter should be investigated on the basis of official records.

Claim of removal of 70 lakh votes in Telangana

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar raised questions on the process, claiming that around 70 lakh votes were removed in Telangana. He wanted to know how many voters' names in the state were removed from the list and how many of these people were actually ineligible to vote.

He also demanded that such clear figures should be made public by the Election Commission, which would show how many eligible voters' names were removed by mistake. According to him, it is necessary to ensure the accuracy of the voter list, but in this process the right to vote of any eligible citizen should not be affected.

However, claims that approximately 7 million votes were removed and eligible voters were targeted cannot be independently verified based on available information. Therefore, to confirm these figures and allegations, it is necessary to investigate the official data of the Election Commission and documents.

Allegation of impact on SC, ST, BC and minority communities

Ponnam Prabhakar alleged that the process of removing names from the voter list is impacting people from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Backward Class (BC) and minority communities. He claimed that voters from these communities are particularly facing problems.

Linking the issue to social and political representation, the Minister said that the right to vote is important for every eligible citizen. If a person's name is wrongly removed from the voter list, he may be deprived of the opportunity to vote for the candidate of his choice in the election.

However, community-wise official data and independent investigation would be required to confirm allegations of deliberate targeting of a particular community. In this case, Election Commission records can play an important role in clarifying what were the reasons behind the removal of names and whether there was a disproportionate impact on any group.

Questions raised on the difficulties of the poor, elderly and laborers

The minister also raised the issue of problems faced by common citizens regarding documents and procedures to voter list. He said that it may be difficult for the poor, elderly, uneducated people and daily wage laborers to make frequent visits to government offices.

According to him, if a citizen has to visit different offices again and again to prove his identity or eligibility, it wastes both his time and money. This problem can become more serious for daily wage workers, as their daily earnings may get affected while visiting offices.

Ponnam Prabhakar raised the question that when even an eminent person like former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu may face difficulties in such procedures, what would be the condition of common citizens. While making this comment, he stressed the need to make the process of correction in voter list simple, transparent and accessible to the citizens.

The minister also expressed concern about his vote.

Ponnam Prabhakar claimed that an attempt was made to remove her own vote as well. He said the discrepancy was allegedly based on his father's name being mentioned as 'Sattaiah' and 'Satyanarayan Gaur' in different records.

Through this example, the Minister raised questions on the process of verification of names, family details and identity information in the voter list. He says that in case of discrepancy in the documents, the person concerned should get an opportunity to express his views.

However, the alleged attempt to remove his vote and the reasons behind it require independent verification. The real status of this matter can become clear only after examining the relevant records and documents of the Election Commission.

Demand for transparency in voter list

The minister demanded that the total number of votes removed in the state along with details of cases in which names of eligible voters were removed by mistake, should also be made public. According to him, merely presenting the total figure is not enough; It is also important to know what were the reasons for removing the names and how the affected citizens are being given the opportunity for improvement.

Revision of voter list is an important part of the electoral process. Its purpose is to keep the list updated and remove ineligible entries. But in this process, it is equally important to resolve the complaints of wrongful deletion of names of eligible voters in a timely manner.

In such cases, clear guidelines, easy system of filing complaints and time bound redressal process can help in maintaining the trust of citizens.

Importance of voting right in democracy

Ponnam Prabhakar said that language insulting people who question their voting rights is not in line with democratic values. According to him, questions to voter list should be answered through facts and transparent investigation instead of political allegations and counter-allegations.

At present, the minister's allegations regarding SIR and deletion of names from the voter list in Telangana have intensified the political debate. Now in this dispute, the official figures of the Election Commission, documents of the affected voters and the reaction of the concerned parties will be important. Only after these facts are revealed, it will be clear how many names were removed, how many were ineligible voters and how many eligible citizens need correction.