Jubilee Hills by-poll: BRS apprehends `rigging’ by Congress, asks EC to deploy paramilitary forces

Hyderabad: Apprehending `mass rigging' by ruling Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to deploy paramilitary forces and ensure a free and fair by-election in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency on November 11.

BRS writes to the Election Commission

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, BRS Parliamentary Party leader K. R. Suresh Reddy demanded the deployment of central paramilitary forces across the constituency and installation of CCTV cameras with live webcasting at every polling booth.

He said these measures were essential to prevent booth capturing, fake identity creation, voter intimidation, and large-scale electoral manipulation allegedly planned by the Congress and its candidate, Naveen Yadav.

“CM’s position hinges on Bypoll”

The BRS claimed that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has been campaigning in the constituency for six consecutive days, underscoring the high stakes for the Congress.

“It appears that the Chief Minister’s continuation in office depends on winning this by-election, as the Congress Party failed to win even a single seat in the Hyderabad region during the November 2023 General Elections,” the letter stated.

Allegations of misuse of official machinery

The BRS accused the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues of “unleashing a reign of terror” on BRS cadres. “The ruling party is abducting local BRS leaders, beating and intimidating them, and using municipal authorities to issue notices alleging unauthorised constructions and businesses,” the letter alleged.

The party also charged that the police and civic administration were functioning as “agents of the ruling party,” while the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and District Election Officer (DEO) were “ineffective” in curbing violations.

Question over Azharuddin’s cabinet entry

The BRS questioned the Congress government’s decision to induct former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin into the Cabinet despite his not being a member of either the Assembly or the Legislative Council.

The move, it is alleged, was meant to influence minority voters in the constituency, which has a substantial minority population.

Claims of fake voter IDs and imported voters

The BRS alleged that the Congress, with support from the AIMIM, was importing voters from outside the constituency, particularly Muslim women from the Old City areas, to manipulate voting in its favour.

It claimed fake and duplicate voter ID cards were being generated using Aadhaar-linked data and photocopies of genuine voter cards, and distributed to non-resident individuals to cast bogus votes.

Call for immediate central oversight

The party urged the ECI to take “urgent preventive measures” to maintain the integrity of the election process and protect opposition workers from political intimidation.

“The ruling Congress has prepared for mass rigging and identity fraud in the Jubilee Hills bypoll,” the letter said, stressing that only central forces and real-time monitoring could ensure a transparent election.