Narasaraopet Telugu Desam MP and TD floor leader in Lok Sabha Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh.

“The exercise is going on in a fair and transparent manner,” he maintained while speaking to media in Vijayawada on Saturday.

Devarayalu recalled that the Telugu Desam Party had been the first to welcome the SIR process over a year ago, citing the need to fine-tune the state’s electoral rolls. He asserted that election authorities and booth-level officers had, over the past four months, visited areas across the state to verify voter status and enrol eligible citizens.

The TDP MP underlined that all political parties have been given time and opportunities to raise their concerns. Voters too have been given sufficient time to enrol themselves. Officials also reconciled the previous and current voter lists to ensure accuracy, he emphasised.

Responding to criticism of the electoral process, Devarayalu alleged that Congress has been targeting democratic institutions whenever it faced defeat in elections.

“When Congress wins in states like Kerala, they find no fault with the Election Commission or the voter rolls. But whenever they lose, they immediately search for excuses and blame the SIR or the Election Commission,” he pointed out.

Devarayalu declared that democratic institutions in India must be protected and strengthened, while the constitutional bodies are answerable to public queries.

The MP expressed confidence that the Election Commission of India would provide clear and comprehensive replies to the doubts raised by opposition parties.