Telangana BJP chief defends SIR, says no conflict within EC

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana President N. Ramchander Rao. File | Photo credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR

It was Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president N. Ramchander Rao’s turn to defend the Election Commission’s (EC) controversial Special Intensive Review (SIR) process, accusing 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 said opposition parties had tried to create a “false impression” of internal differences in 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 said there were “no differences or conflicts” among the jury members.

Mr. Rao said the opposition also misrepresented the purpose of Form 6, which is used for fresh voter registration, claiming that the form had been upheld by the Supreme Court but was being deliberately misinterpreted for political purposes.

He questioned the Congress’s criticism of the electoral process and asked why it did not raise objections against electronic voting machines (EVMs) or other electoral procedures when it secured victory in states like 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 were often given lucrative post-retirement appointments and honors during Congress-led governments. In contrast, he said, appointments under the current system were made through a process involving the opposition leader and “judicial oversight” to ensure neutrality.

As US President Donald Trump praises India’s electoral system, it was “unfortunate” that the Congress party tried to malign the institution. He claimed that the party’s criticism of the SIR exercise in Telangana contradicted earlier statements by senior Congress leaders such as Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Sachin Pilot who had spoken positively about aspects of the election process on previous occasions.

The SIR exercise was to clean the voter rolls and remove fake entries, Mr. Rao claimed, asserting that the EC was conducting a process “ensuring the rights of genuine and eligible voters”. He also took exception to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s recent remarks accusing him of trying to divide Hindus for political gain.

Demanding an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister, the BJP leader alleged that the comments were politically motivated, especially in the context of the proposed Khairatabad by-election after the disqualification of Danam Nagender.

Published – 29 Sep 2026 15:38 IST