HYDERABAD, OCTOBER 31, 2026: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar launched a sharp attack on the Congress party over its protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, challenging Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to dissolve the state government and face elections through ballot papers.
Addressing the media at the BJP State Office in Hyderabad, Bandi Sanjay questioned the Congress party’s opposition to the voter list revision process and accused it of targeting constitutional institutions whenever electoral outcomes do not favour the party.
He asserted that the BJP was ready to face elections through ballot papers in Telangana and challenged the Congress leadership to accept the proposal and seek a fresh mandate.
‘Why Oppose the Removal of Duplicate and Deceased Voters?’
Bandi Sanjay argued that the SIR process was intended to ensure that every eligible citizen receives voting rights while removing duplicate entries, deceased voters and other ineligible registrations.
Referring to claims about the deletion of nearly 13 crore voter entries across the country, he questioned the Congress party’s objections and stated that the figures included deceased voters, duplicate registrations and people who had permanently migrated.
He claimed that approximately 2.8 crore entries related to deceased voters, over one crore were duplicate registrations and around 6.3 crore were linked to people who had permanently migrated. He maintained that the figures represented entries under scrutiny and a draft process rather than a final deletion.
He also alleged that Telangana had around 18.07 lakh deceased voter entries and 6.7 lakh suspected duplicate entries, calling for a review of electoral records.
Questions Congress Over Its Opposition to SIR
The Union Minister questioned why the Congress party had not opposed similar electoral revision exercises conducted during previous Congress governments.
He referred to earlier revisions carried out between 1952 and 2025 and argued that the party’s position appeared inconsistent depending on electoral outcomes.
He also cited elections in Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, arguing that the Congress had won elections conducted under the same Election Commission.
Criticism of Congress Protests and Opposition Politics
Bandi Sanjay criticised the Congress leadership for questioning the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He also criticised the party over its remarks concerning the Supreme Court, the media and the armed forces. Referring to Operation Sindoor, he accused Congress leaders of making statements that, in his view, undermined national institutions and the country’s image.
He further questioned the Congress party’s participation in protests alongside organisations and individuals whom he alleged were associated with foreign funding and activities against the government. These allegations were part of his political criticism during the press conference.
Announces Support for NRC, Women’s Reservation and Delimitation
Reiterating the BJP’s position on key national issues, Bandi Sanjay said the SIR exercise would continue and asserted that the government would pursue the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
He also stated that the government was committed to implementing women’s reservation and delimitation.
Expressing confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, he said the government would continue working towards strengthening India’s position globally.
Targets Telangana Government Over Drought and Public Issues
Apart from national political issues, Bandi Sanjay criticised the Telangana government over drought conditions and farmers’ difficulties.
He questioned the decision to declare only 365 mandals as drought-affected, alleging that several other regions were also facing water shortages, crop losses and power cuts.
He urged the state government to focus on farmers’ problems, drinking water shortages and the implementation of the six guarantees instead of engaging in political controversies.
Releases Booklet on SIR
Bandi Sanjay also announced the preparation of a booklet titled ‘Let’s Protect Democracy – Let’s Eliminate Anarchy’, aimed at presenting the BJP’s position on SIR and countering what he described as misinformation by the Congress and opposition parties.
He said copies of the booklet would be distributed to citizens and appealed to intellectuals, journalists and educationists to examine the issues and understand the facts.
The press conference was attended by MLCs Malka Komaraiah and Anjireddy, SIR in-charge Bandari Shanti Kumar, BJP state leader Dr. Prakash Reddy, chief spokesperson N.V. Subhash, spokespersons J. Sangappa and Sunitha, among others.
