BJP has no role in SIR

Rajamahendravaram: BJP SIR State convener and Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy on Wednesday criticised Opposition parties for making what he termed baseless allegations against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and said the BJP had no role in the exercise.

Addressing a media conference in Rajamahendravaram, Nallamilli said some political parties with no electoral relevance were making unnecessary allegations against the SIR by relying on what he described as fabricated reports appearing in a section of the media.

He also accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation over discussions among members of the Election Commission. He said SIR was a constitutionally mandated exercise and had nothing to do with the BJP.

According to him, the present exercise was the 14th Special Intensive Revision undertaken after Independence.

The Supreme Court, in its May 2026 judgment on the Bihar SIR, upheld the Election Commission’s authority to conduct the exercise under Article 324 of the Constitution read with the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Nallamilli said every political party has agents at polling booths and questioned why there should be apprehension about the revision process when representatives of all parties were involved in the electoral process.

He said political parties should raise specific objections through the prescribed mechanisms instead of casting aspersions on constitutional institutions.

Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the MLA alleged that he was making politically motivated and inappropriate remarks as he was unable to accept his electoral setbacks.

He said people were observing such criticism and would respond appropriately. He also alleged that the Congress was attempting to create doubts about constitutional institutions.

Nallamilli further alleged that Sonia Gandhi had voted despite not being an Indian citizen at the relevant time and said the Congress had no moral standing to question the electoral process. He said allegations against the Election Commission should be backed by facts and evidence.

He questioned the contention that the SIR process was designed to favour the BJP, asking how Prashant Kishor could have won in Bihar if the exercise was advantageous to the BJP. He said the Bihar experience showed that the SIR process was not designed to benefit any particular political party.

The Supreme Court had upheld the validity of the Bihar SIR in May 2026, holding that the Election Commission had the authority to conduct the exercise and that the process was aimed at maintaining accurate and reliable electoral rolls. MLA Nallamilli appealed to Opposition parties to respect constitutional institutions and allow the electoral revision process to proceed according to law.

He said genuine grievances could be raised before the competent authorities and through the legal mechanisms available to voters and political parties.

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