Telangana chief minister alleges BJP scheme to erase 20 crore votes

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said the BJP‑led central government is plotting to delete nearly 20 crore votes to sway the 2024 Lok Sabha election, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of targeting the poor, Dalits, Adivasis and women, The Hindu reported.

What did the chief minister allege about voter deletions?

He claimed that 13.5 crore votes have already been removed and another 20 crore are being targeted, representing about 15‑20 % of India’s electorate.

Which states did he say were affected by the alleged deletions?

Reddy asserted that the BJP is using voter‑deletion tactics to gain advantage in Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal, and intends to repeat the exercise to retain power.

What political motives did he attribute to the BJP?

According to the chief minister, the BJP seeks more than 400 Lok Sabha seats to amend the Constitution and abolish reservations, and, after failing to secure that mandate, the prime minister allegedly harbors a grudge against weaker sections and is trying to strip them of voting rights.

He also alleged that Prime Minister Modi is leveraging Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to undermine the constitutional right to vote guaranteed by B.R. Ambedkar. Reddy praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for organising the ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally under the INDIA Bloc to expose the purported roll manipulation. Drawing on the Ramayana, he likened the Congress “Vanara Sena” to the army of Vanaras that helped Lord Rama defeat Ravana.

The statements were made to thousands of Telangana Congress leaders and workers gathered at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday, ahead of the rally at Ramlila Maidan, The Hindu noted. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and other ministers also addressed the crowd.