Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Challenges Congress To Hold Fresh Polls On Ballot Papers

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday challenged the Congress to hold fresh elections using ballot papers in the four states where it is currently in power, amid the party’s criticism of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Speaking to the media in Hyderabad, Sanjay said Congress chief ministers in Telangana, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala should resign and seek fresh mandates through ballot papers if the party genuinely believes that EVMs are unreliable. He alleged that blaming EVMs after electoral defeats had become a regular practice for the Congress.

His remarks came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and called for fresh elections using ballot papers. Referring to Kharge’s claim that the current elections were illegal, Sanjay challenged the Congress to demonstrate its position by agreeing to fresh ballot-based elections in the states it governs.

Sanjay also criticised the Congress over its opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Referring to comments by Kerala Congress leader and state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, he asked the Congress to clarify its position on the issue.

He said the SIR exercise could help identify and remove allegedly bogus voters from electoral rolls and questioned why the Congress was opposing a process aimed at improving the accuracy of voter lists.

Sanjay claimed that opposition parties were losing public support. Referring to a programme held in Mumbai on October 2, he said the gathering attended by the Congress, Left parties, Aam Aadmi Party and others received a limited public response.

He contrasted this with a Ganesh Chaturthi programme in Karimnagar, which he claimed attracted at least 5,000 people. Sanjay said people were more concerned about their voting rights and development than SIR.

Sanjay also demanded strict action over alleged temple desecration incidents in Telangana, particularly the recent incident at Santoshi Mata Temple in Dilsukhnagar. He urged the government and police to prevent such incidents from recurring.

He criticised the government for attributing some incidents to people with mental health problems and warned that failure to act could lead to public protests, particularly among youth.