Congress, BRS, MIM parties enabling ‘illegal infiltrators’ in voter lists: BJP Telangana chief

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana president N. Ramchander Rao on Monday (June 15, 2026) alleged that the Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) parties are opposing the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process to protect “illegal voters.”

Addressing a press conference at the party’s State office in Hyderabad, Mr. Rao claimed he had information suggesting that between 5,000 and 10,000 individuals “who had entered the country illegally from Pakistan were residing in Hyderabad“ and demanded that these parties respond to the public on these allegations.

He further alleged that names of “illegal infiltrators” were being added to electoral rolls in parts of the Old City, claiming they were securing Aadhaar and ration cards with political support with the backing of these parties. Mr. Rao also raised broader concerns about illegal immigration across India’s borders, referring to alleged entries of Bangladeshis, Rohingyas and other groups.

Complaints on similar issues had been reported from States such as Bihar and West Bengal, and that comparable suspicions were now emerging in Hyderabad. He accused the Congress of having a history of benefiting from “bogus votes”.

Defending the SIR exercise, Mr. Rao said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had “no moral right” to speak about “vote theft” and asserted that the revision process was meant to protect legitimate voters. “A clean and transparent electoral roll is essential for strengthening democracy. No eligible Indian citizen’s vote will be removed — only ineligible names will be struck off,” he said.

He stressed that SIR is not a new initiative and has been conducted multiple times across the country to update voter lists by removing names of deceased individuals, those who have relocated, and by correcting errors. He also claimed the process has judicial backing, including support from the Supreme Court, which has underscored the need for accurate electoral rolls.

Attributing electoral outcomes to the SIR process was “an insult to democracy,”, he asserted arguing that voters — not SIR — decide election results. If BJP benefited in West Bengal because of SIR, how did United Democratic Front (UDF) win in Kerala, he questioned. He also urged political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to actively scrutinise voter lists during the revision process, cautioning against blaming the Election Commission later for any discrepancies.