Telangana BJP Chief Defends SIR, Says Process Aims to Remove Dead and Duplicate Voters

Rao said the SIR is an Election Commission of India process and is not an initiative of the ruling BJP. He also claimed that similar electoral roll revisions were carried out during previous Congress governments without attracting the same level of opposition.

"AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and other leaders opposing SIR should understand that it is initiated by the Election Commission of India and not the BJP," Rao said.

Questioning the Opposition's objections, Rao said the exercise had also been undertaken during Congress rule and asked why it was being opposed now. He further referred to Kerala, claiming that the Congress won an election there after an SIR exercise.

Rao accused the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties of blaming the Election Commission or electronic voting machines when they lose elections. He also criticised Owaisi and the Congress over their opposition to the electoral roll revision.

Defending the purpose of the exercise, Rao said SIR was intended to identify and remove names of deceased and duplicate voters, as well as those who were no longer eligible to remain on a particular electoral roll. He also said voters who had shifted residence should have their registrations transferred to their new locations.

"There is no illegality and there is nothing to object to," Rao said, arguing that the exercise was aimed at ensuring that electoral rolls accurately reflected eligible voters.

Opposition parties, however, have strongly criticised the SIR exercise and staged protests in several parts of the country, including at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. They have alleged that the revision could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls and claimed that more than 13 crore names had been left out of draft rolls.

Opposition parties have also questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission and demanded that the SIR exercise be withdrawn, alleging that the process could benefit the BJP. The BJP has rejected these allegations.