Revanth Reddy: BJP trying to steal votes of Dalits, OBCs, minorities
Synopsis
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy stood alongside Rahul Gandhi at Raj Ghat for a second straight day, warning that the BJP’s SIR exercise could strip more than 13 crore Dalits, OBCs, tribals, and minorities of their votes — what he called the single largest disenfranchisement in human history — and issued a direct ultimatum to the ruling party.
Key Takeaways
Revanth Reddy joined the INDIA bloc protest at Raj Ghat, New Delhi for a second consecutive day on 8 October 2026 .
The protest demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and reversal of the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise.
Revanth Reddy alleged the exercise could disenfranchise more than 13 crore citizens — primarily Dalits, tribals, OBCs, and minorities .
He claimed India’s total voter count has grown in every election since 1952 and warned it could decline for the first time under the current exercise.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Congress and INDIA bloc leaders also participated in the sit-in.
Revanth Reddy issued an ultimatum: remove the CEC and restore voter rolls, or the BJP faces a historic political reckoning.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday, 8 October 2026, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was deliberately seeking to strip poor and marginalised communities of their right to vote, as he joined the INDIA bloc's sit-in protest at Raj Ghat in New Delhi for a second consecutive day. The protest, which drew Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Congress and INDIA bloc leaders, demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Core Allegations at the Protest
Speaking at the demonstration, Revanth Reddy charged that the BJP had attempted to fragment India along lines of religion, caste, region, and language. He further alleged that Central agencies had been misused to weaken the Opposition and undermine institutions.
'They have also misused Central agencies as a threat to weaken the Opposition and stifle institutions. Now that defeat is imminent, the country is being divided into two major camps: those who have the right to vote and those whose votes they want to steal,' a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) quoted him as saying.
The 13-Crore Voter Claim
The Chief Minister claimed that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise risked disenfranchising more than 13 crore citizens — a figure he described as greater than the population of many countries. He argued that since 1952, the total number of registered voters in India had grown with every election, including the last three general elections that brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power. A reversal of that trend, he said, would constitute 'the single largest disenfranchisement exercise on the planet.'
'We are setting up a strange situation where, after the number of voters increased in every election in India since 1952 ... the total number of voters in India will decline in the next polls,' Revanth Reddy said, according to the CMO statement.
Political Framing and Historical Reference
Revanth Reddy situated the protest beyond partisan lines, asserting it was not a Congress or INDIA bloc battle alone but a struggle for the country’s democratic future. He accused Prime Minister Modi of employing what he characterised as divisive tactics drawn from the 'imperialist British playbook.'
Invoking the Congress party’s independence-era legacy, he said: 'Our party was formed to secure Independence for India, not to gain power. We ensured India became free and that every Indian got a vote.'
Ultimatum to the BJP
The Telangana Chief Minister issued a direct warning: either the BJP removes CEC Gyanesh Kumar, reverses the SIR exercise, and restores every citizen’s vote, 'or it will be consigned to the dustbin of Indian political history.' He expressed confidence that the people of India would resist any effort to curtail voting rights, calling the issue fundamental to all other rights, including reservations and fundamental rights.
The INDIA bloc’s back-to-back protests signal a sustained pressure campaign on the Election Commission ahead of upcoming electoral contests.
Point of View
And widening the coalition beyond Congress to include state-level heavyweights like Revanth Reddy. The '13 crore disenfranchisement' figure is potent messaging, but the bloc has yet to present a forensic breakdown of how the SIR exercise produces that count, which leaves the claim open to challenge. Notably, the demand is squarely aimed at the person of CEC Gyanesh Kumar rather than the institution of the Election Commission — a distinction that matters if the goal is systemic reform versus political pressure before elections. The BJP’s silence so far on the specifics of the voter-roll revision only sustains the opposition’s narrative.
NationPress
8 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the INDIA bloc protest at Raj Ghat about?
The INDIA bloc is staging a sit-in protest at Raj Ghat in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the reversal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which opposition leaders allege could remove more than 13 crore voters — primarily Dalits, OBCs, tribals, and minorities — from electoral rolls.
What did Telangana CM Revanth Reddy say about the BJP and voting rights?
Revanth Reddy alleged that the BJP is deliberately trying to strip poor and marginalised communities of their right to vote because these groups have turned against the party. He claimed the SIR exercise could constitute the single largest disenfranchisement exercise on the planet, affecting over 13 crore citizens.
What is the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an electoral roll revision exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India. Opposition parties allege it risks removing millions of legitimate voters — particularly from marginalised communities — from the voter list ahead of upcoming elections.
Who participated in the Raj Ghat protest alongside Revanth Reddy?
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other Congress and INDIA bloc leaders joined Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the sit-in protest on 8 October 2026, marking the second consecutive day of demonstrations.
What ultimatum did Revanth Reddy give the BJP?
Revanth Reddy stated that the BJP must remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar, reverse the SIR exercise, and restore every citizen’s vote — failing which, he warned, the party would be 'consigned to the dustbin of Indian political history.'
