States » SouthPosted at: Sep 30 2026 1:49PM


EC must restore public confidence in electoral system: T’gana DY CM Bhatti Vikramarka

Kochi/Hyderabad, Sep 30 (UNI) Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu said the Election Commission has a responsibility to ensure that elections are conducted freely, fairly and transparently and to instil confidence among people in the electoral system.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave on “Growth, Governance and Opportunity in Telangana” in Kochi, Kerala, on Wednesday, Bhatti said there were public apprehensions over the Election Commission's approach, particularly in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
He said the Election Commission should provide a transparent explanation on the deletion of votes and address doubts raised by the public. The deletion of large numbers of votes could have an impact on election results, he said, adding that restoring public trust in the electoral process was more important than whether political parties won or lost.
Bhatti also said public demands for the use of ballot papers should be considered.
On Telangana's welfare programmes, the Deputy Chief Minister said they should not be described as “freebies”, arguing that investments in housing, education and healthcare help create quality human resources and contribute to economic development.
He said the government had launched 4.5 lakh Indiramma houses in the first phase and sanctioned another two lakh houses. The Aarogyasri scheme is being implemented with the coverage limit raised to Rs 10 lakh, while free bus travel for women is being provided under the Mahalakshmi scheme. He said 53 lakh families were benefiting from free electricity of up to 200 units.
Bhatti said quality education would help create skilled human resources and pointed to fee reimbursement as an important support for technical education.
On Centre-state relations, he called for the interests and contributions of southern states to be recognised in the spirit of federalism. He said he had raised concerns regarding southern states during GST meetings as well. At the same time, he described competition among states as healthy, saying states should compete to achieve faster development and those making significant contributions should not be undermined.
Highlighting Hyderabad's strengths, Bhatti said the city has a large pool of talented youth and world-class infrastructure for investment. He cited the Outer Ring Road, international airport, Financial City and HITEC City as key advantages for Telangana.
Recalling his association with former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Bhatti said the experience of working with him would always remain cherished and that YSR's guidance strengthened his belief in Congress ideology.
Bhatti appealed to veteran Congress leaders who had left the party to return to its fold and work together to strengthen the nation.
On the functioning of the Telangana government, the Deputy Chief Minister said he was working in complete harmony with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, with decisions being taken through mutual consultation and deliberation.
He said the government's objective was to implement Congress ideology and its programmes in Telangana.
UNI VV ARN
Tags: #EC must restore public confidence in electoral system: T’gana DY CM Bhatti Vikramarka
More News

Ashoka challenges Shivakumar to show voter deleted through Form 7

01 Oct 2026 | 9:21 PM

Bengaluru, Oct 1 (UNI) Leader of Opposition R Ashoka on Thursday challenged Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to produce even a single voter whose name was allegedly deleted from the electoral rolls through a Form 7 application, questioning the Congress government's claim of largescale voter deletions.

see more..

Madras HC reserves order on plea to bar ECI from holding bypoll for five Assembly seats

01 Oct 2026 | 8:22 PM

Chennai, Oct 1 (UNI) The Madras High Court on Thursday reserved its orders on a plea barring the Election Commission of India (ECI) from holding by-elections for five Tamil Nadu Assembly seats until the pending election pleas are disposed off.

see more..

AP: Election Commission must restore public confidence in electoral system: Raghuveera Reddy

01 Oct 2026 | 7:54 PM

Vijayawada, Oct 1 (UNI) Congress Working Committee (CWC) Member Dr N Raghuveera Reddy Thursday said that widespread concern is being expressed across the country over the manner in which the Election Commission is functioning and over the developments taking place in the name of revision of electoral rolls.

see more..

Madras HC closes Rs 4 crore cheating case against Ex-AIADMk Minister , says no prima facie evidence citing police report

01 Oct 2026 | 7:52 PM

Chennai, Oct 1 (UNI) The Madras High Court on Thursday closed a petition seeking registration of a case against former AIADMK Minister C Vijayabaskar, now with the ruling TVK, over an alleged Rs.4-crore cheating fraud, after the police submitted there was no prima facie basis for the complaint.

see more..

Protect soil, water and nature for agriculture to survive: Idukki Collector

01 Oct 2026 | 7:19 PM

Munnar (Kerala), Oct 1 (UNI) Agriculture can survive only if soil, water and nature are protected, Idukki District Collector Dr Dineshan Cheruvath said here on Thursday.

see more..