Prakash Raj alleges conspiracy behind SIR voter revision
HYDERABAD: Actor says voter deletion lists are being sent from BJP offices
Raj demands scrapping of SIR, removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Actor Prakash Raj alleged that a “big conspiracy” was behind the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and claimed that lists of voters to be deleted were being sent from Bharatiya Janata Party offices.
Speaking to the media at the Press Club in Somajiguda on Saturday, Raj said nearly 13 crore votes had been deleted across the country under the absent, shifted, duplicate and death (ASD) categories. He alleged that large-scale deletions were also planned in Karnataka and Telangana.
“Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah are indulging in vote theft, while Chandrababu, Pawan Kalyan and Nitish Kumar are supporting them. I am investigating what happened in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections. I will come before the media soon with details,” he said.
Raj said voters whose names had been deleted were finding it extremely difficult to re-enrol through Form 6.
He demanded that the SIR process be scrapped immediately and that electoral rolls be revised transparently under the earlier system. He also demanded the removal and investigation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Details and evidence relating to every deleted vote should be placed on the official website for public scrutiny,” Raj said.
Retired High Court judge Justice B Chandrakumar said he had worked as a lawyer for 15 years and as a judge for 23 years and had also contested elections. Despite this, he said, his name had been deleted from the electoral roll.
Writer Kandimalla Pratap Reddy, Chandrakumar, Soyab and representatives of civil society organisations attended the meeting.
Civil society groups hold protest at Dharna Chowk
Earlier, a protest was held at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park, with the participation of the Telangana People’s Front and several civil society organisations.
The protesters demanded that the SIR be scrapped and Gyanesh Kumar be removed. Youth held placards and raised slogans against the Centre’s actions.
Prakash Raj, Prof K Nageshwar, civil rights leader Prof Hargopal, retired IAS officer Akunuri Murali, Osmania University Arts College principal Prof C Kasim, writer Kancha Ilaiah and Satavahana University professor Surepalli Sujatha were among those who participated.
Placards displayed slogans including “Gyanesh must resign”, “Scrap SIR”, “Repeal CEC Act 2023” and “Save Democracy”.
The protest was organised by 14 people’s organisations, including CJP, Naujawan Bharat, Disha Students, Mazdoor Bigul, Revolutionary Workers Party, Voters Rights Forum and transgender representatives, with the support of the Telangana People’s Front.
