No one has the right to tamper with people’s votes, says Uttam

Hyderabad: Irrigation and Food & Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has warned that any attempt to undermine citizens’ voting rights by removing eligible voters’ names from electoral rolls under the guise of revision will not be tolerated.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the minister said the right to vote was the most powerful constitutional instrument available to ordinary citizens to elect governments and hold them accountable. He stressed that no authority had the right to tamper with this fundamental democratic right.

Questioning the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded transparency in the process. He said reasons must be provided for every deletion, affected voters must be informed, and adequate opportunities must be given to challenge such decisions. He also called for a mechanism to promptly restore the names of eligible voters removed by mistake.

He questioned why citizens should bear the burden of administrative errors and run from one office to another to establish their voting rights.

He said protecting every eligible citizen’s vote was a constitutional responsibility.

The minister appreciated Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for raising the issue nationally and mobilising opposition parties. He referred to the INDIA alliance leaders’ march towards the Supreme Court on October 12 and their subsequent legal efforts over alleged irregularities in electoral roll revision.

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The Hans India