Shadow Correspondent
Basohli, Oct, 29
J&K BJP General Secretary Baldev Singh Billawaria asserted that the Congress and its allies are spreading a misleading narrative on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to create confusion among the people, announcing that the BJP would counter this campaign through a padyatra in Kathua on October 31.
Billawaria, who is also the incharge of the Kathua padyatra was addressing an organizational meeting at Mahanpur, Basohli, convened to review party activities and finalize preparations for the upcoming padyatra against the Congress’s allegations of “vote chori.” District President Gopal Krishna, MLA Darshan Singh, MLA Satish Sharma, DDC member Narayan Dutt Tripathi, Vikram Singh, and Mandal President Narita Devi participated in the meeting.
Billawaria called upon party leaders and workers to ensure its successful organization and effectively communicate the facts surrounding electoral roll revision to the public.
While emphasizing the importance of SIR in maintaining clean and credible electoral rolls, he said that the revision process was not new and had been undertaken since the Congress era. He pointed out that electoral rolls require periodic revision to account for deaths, migration and duplicate entries, ensuring that every eligible citizen’s voting rights are protected.
Billawaria questioned the Congress’s allegations of large-scale electoral irregularities, arguing that changes in voter lists cannot automatically be portrayed as electoral fraud when names may be removed or corrected for legitimate reasons.
He accused the Congress of creating unnecessary suspicion about democratic institutions instead of acknowledging the need for accurate electoral rolls.
Billawaria asserted that the integrity of Indian democracy depended on ensuring that every eligible Indian citizen could exercise the right to vote freely and fairly. He stressed that electoral processes must protect genuine voters and prevent any misuse of voting rights.
He further said that the October 31 padyatra would serve as an opportunity for the BJP to expose what it described as the Congress’s misleading campaign and reaffirm its commitment to transparent electoral processes.
Kathua District President Gopal Krishan said that party workers across the district would work collectively to make the padyatra successful and strengthen public awareness on the issue.
The meeting was attended by district and mandal office-bearers, MLAs, DDC and BDC members, sarpanches, and Morcha presidents. BJP J&K Seh-Prabhari Reena Kashyap and other senior leaders are expected to participate in the Kathua padyatra.
