metro india news  I hyderabad

A fresh political storm has erupted in Telangana, with the Congress and BJP trading sharp accusations over alleged voter fraud. The controversy gained traction after Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, in a media interaction the other day, claimed nearly four lakh bogus votes existed in Hyderabad district. Against this backdrop, TPCC Chief Mahesh Kumar raised fingers at the BJP accusing the saffron party of benefiting from bogus votes to secure eight Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 elections.

Addressing party workers in Karimnagar, Goud intensified the charge, alleging that a single residence in Karimnagar town housed over 40 fake votes. He directly challenged Union Minister and former BJP state president Bandi Sanjay to explain these irregularities. Goud further accused the BJP of systematically undermining democratic processes, pointing to unfulfilled promises such as creating two crore jobs annually and criticizing the privatization of public sector enterprises to corporate groups like Ambani and Adani.

The Congress leader also alleged that BJP leaders, including Union Ministers Bandi Sanjay and G Kishan Reddy, obstructed the passage of the BC reservation bill while exploiting religious sentiments for political gain. He projected Congress as a party rooted in grassroots outreach, highlighting its padayatras and welfare schemes, including the fine rice distribution under its six guarantees.

BJP leaders were quick to respond, with Mahabubnagar MP DK Aruna issuing a strong rebuttal. Dismissing Congress’s claims as “baseless and hypocritical,” Aruna questioned how both BJP and Congress managed to win eight seats each if fake votes played a role. She challenged Congress to publicly reveal and remove any bogus voters if it had the courage.

Aruna accused Congress of historically benefiting from electoral irregularities and misleading BC communities with hollow promises, including the proposed 42% reservation. She ridiculed the Congress leadership, daring them to replace CM Revanth Reddy with Goud if they were serious about BC empowerment. The MP said Congress’s allegations reflected frustration after electoral setbacks, adding that its leaders were “intoxicated by power” and had lost political clarity.