Union Coal and Mines Minister and BJP Telangana president G. Kishan Reddy on Saturday, 18 July 2026, accused the AIMIM (Majlis) and the Indian National Congress of conspiring together in Hyderabad to sabotage the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and facilitate the inclusion of bogus votes in the electoral rolls.

Posting in Telugu on X, Reddy alleged: 'ఇవాళ హైదరాబాద్‌లో మజ్లిస్, కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీలు కూడబల్కొని SIR ప్రక్రియను నిర్వీర్యం చేసి దొంగ ఓట్లను చేర్చేందుకు కుట్రలు చేస్తున్నాయి' — ('Today in Hyderabad, the Majlis and Congress parties are colluding and conspiring to neutralise the SIR process and include bogus votes.').

Context

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an Election Commission of India (ECI) exercise conducted periodically to verify and update electoral rolls through door-to-door checks, removal of duplicate entries, and deletion of ineligible voters. Hyderabad, with its dense and politically competitive urban constituencies, has historically been a focal point during such revision drives.

Reddy's post, carrying a video attachment, was made in the context of what he described as a coordinated effort on the day of the post — 18 July 2026 — to undermine the integrity of this process in the city.

Policy Backdrop

The ECI regularly conducts Special Summary Revisions and Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls ahead of elections across states, including Telangana. The SIR mechanism is specifically designed to weed out bogus, duplicate, and ineligible entries while also enrolling genuine new voters.

Since the Congress party came to power in Telangana after the 2023 assembly elections, the state BJP unit — led by Reddy — has repeatedly raised concerns about electoral roll integrity, alleging nexus between the ruling party and AIMIM, which holds a strong base in Hyderabad's Old City constituencies.

Stakeholders and Impact

AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, is a dominant force in several Hyderabad segments and has historically been accused by BJP of acting as a 'vote bank' partner for Congress, a charge both parties deny. Any tampering with the SIR process, if substantiated, would directly affect the legitimacy of voter lists ahead of future polls in the city.

Ordinary voters in Hyderabad — particularly in densely populated Old City wards — stand to be most directly affected if electoral rolls are manipulated either by inclusion of ineligible entries or deletion of genuine voters. The ECI remains the constitutional authority with the final say on the revision process.

What's Next

Reddy's allegation puts pressure on the Election Commission of India to clarify the current status and timeline of the SIR exercise in Telangana, and to address any complaints of interference. Responses from Congress leadership in Telangana and AIMIM are awaited.

With electoral competition in Hyderabad intensifying ahead of future civic and parliamentary polls, disputes over voter list revisions are likely to remain a flashpoint between the BJP on one side and the Congress-AIMIM combine on the other.