Amit Shah to Lead Hyderabad Padayatra Today Against Congress Over SIR

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will undertake a padayatra in Hyderabad today as part of the Telangana BJP's campaign against what it describes as the Congress's alleged misinformation surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The foot march, titled 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakata Hatao' (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy), will begin at 3 PM from the Babu Jagjivan Ram statue near Nizam College in Basheerbagh and proceed through Abids before concluding at Mozamjahi Market around 6 PM. Shah will address the gathering at the concluding point.

The BJP initially considered organising the march along Tank Bund but subsequently changed the route, citing concerns about accommodating the expected crowds. The party had earlier set a mobilisation target of around one lakh participants.

Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao are among the leaders expected to participate, along with BJP MPs, MLAs, MLCs, lawyers, doctors, intellectuals and party workers.

Kishan Reddy and Rao inspected the route on Sunday and reviewed security and other arrangements for the programme.

The march comes amid an intensifying political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress over the SIR exercise. The BJP has accused the Congress of spreading misinformation about the electoral roll revision. Rao has defended the role of Booth Level Agents (BLAs), saying they are responsible for verifying voters' residential details. The controversy also involves Form-7 applications used to raise objections to names in electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad traffic police announced restrictions and diversions from 1 PM to 7 PM today in several areas, including Basheerbagh, Liberty, Abids, King Koti, Nampally, Afzalgunj and MJ Market. RTC buses will also be diverted, and commuters have been advised to plan their journeys accordingly.