HYDERABAD: Union minister for coal and ,ines G. Kishan Reddy on Saturday alleged that Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leaders in Hyderabad’s Old City were intimidating Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in electoral duties, preventing them from conducting door-to-door surveys and insisting that voter forms be distributed only through MIM channels.
He said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could not be carried out according to “Majlis instructions” and warned that attempts to pressure the Election Commission posed a threat to democracy.
Speaking to reporters, Kishan Reddy expressed concern over Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s remarks on the exercise, alleging they were inflaming particular sections of society. He criticised efforts to link the SIR to religion and create fear among voters, saying such attempts were “wholly wrong.”
“Even if the Chief Minister, a minister or an MLA pressures election staff, the people of Telangana and the BJP stand with the staff,” he said, accusing the Congress and the BRS of going to any extent to secure MIM support.
The Union minister urged government employees not to succumb to threats from MIM leaders and assured them of BJP’s support. He claimed polling percentages had increased in Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala after similar revision exercises, attributing the rise to greater voter awareness and the removal of duplicate entries.
Calling on every eligible citizen aged 18 and above to register with the Election Commission and participate voluntarily in the SIR, Kishan Reddy alleged that the Congress and the BRS were spreading false narratives to politicise the exercise. Instead of educating voters, he said, they were making baseless allegations against the Election Commission, whose constitutional responsibility was to ensure every eligible citizen’s voting rights were protected.
Referring to earlier investigations, he alleged that Rohingya, Bangladeshi nationals and some illegal entrants from Pakistan residing in Hyderabad had obtained voter identity cards, Aadhaar cards and ration cards. Attempting to block the cleansing of electoral rolls despite such facts was irresponsible, he said.
Kishan Reddy questioned whether illegal migrants and duplicate votes did not exist in several parts of Hyderabad, stressing that removing such anomalies was the Election Commission’s lawful responsibility. “No matter how much opposition or how many false allegations are made, this process will not stop,” he said.
He also objected to the alleged use of BLOs for non-electoral work, citing complaints that they were being deployed to distribute Indiramma saris. Describing the practice as inappropriate, he said the BJP had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission and sought strict action. He further alleged that BLO identity cards were being issued in the state government’s name instead of the Election Commission’s.
The Union minister urged district collectors, senior officials and all government employees involved in the SIR to carry out the exercise courageously and impartially.
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