Hyderabad:Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has described Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign to protect every eligible citizen’s right to vote as a significant moment in the country’s democratic journey, stressing the need for transparency and accountability in electoral processes. In a media statement on Tuesday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said democracy derived its strength from people’s confidence that every eligible citizen could exercise the right to vote and that every vote would be counted fairly. Concerns over errors in electoral rolls, lack of transparency and alleged bias in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) warranted a transparent investigation and credible responses from the Election Commission, he said.
Referring to the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s rally in Delhi on November 1, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Rahul Gandhi had brought Opposition parties together on electoral accountability. He recalled the October 12 march towards the Supreme Court, led by Rahul Gandhi and attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, protesting alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
The minister said the Supreme Court’s decision to seek responses from the Election Commission and its commissioners underscored the importance of the concerns raised. Uttam Kumar Reddy also referred to the I.N.D.I.A bloc’s symbolic public impeachment proceeding against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 31, clarifying that it was a political protest and not a formal constitutional impeachment. While electoral rolls must be updated, adequate safeguards, accessible correction mechanisms and impartial implementation were essential to prevent the wrongful exclusion of eligible voters and maintain public confidence, he said.
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