"Nothing Greater Than Constituition": BRS On Campaign Against Gyanesh Kumar

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has announced plans to intensify its campaign demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party is scheduled to stage a protest outside the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer's office in Hyderabad tomorrow. 

It also plans to take the campaign to New Delhi, with details of the proposed programme to be announced later.

BRS working president K T Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, has called for an independent investigation into the voter revision process, alleging large-scale deletions in constituencies represented by BRS MLAs.

The party sought an inquiry supervised by a sitting Supreme Court judge and urged the top court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.

"Nothing is greater than the Constitution of India. And no Indian citizen can be stripped of their right to vote," Rama Rao said in a social media post on Thursday, reiterating his demand for the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation.

He also questioned the emphasis on protecting an individual over institutional accountability, stating, "No individual is above the institution."

Former minister and BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao also criticised the Election Commission's functioning and called on Kumar to resign if the institution cannot maintain public confidence.

"The Election Commission is the backbone of democracy, not a protective shield for those in power," Harish Rao said, according to a party statement. He added that the constitutional right to vote must be safeguarded and that the electoral process should function impartially and transparently.

The BRS campaign comes amid wider opposition protests over the SIR exercise.

Congress leaders have also raised concerns about potential voter deletions in Telangana and demanded Kumar's resignation. 

Separately, civil society groups and other organisations held a protest at Hyderabad's Dharna Chowk on October 3, seeking changes to the revision exercise.

The SIR process has triggered debate over voter verification, electoral transparency and safeguards against the exclusion of eligible voters. The BRS has maintained that its concerns require an independent examination.