Hyderabad: Union home minister Amit Shah will participate in a BJP Telangana padayatra in Hyderabad on Nov 2, marking his first visit to the state since May 2024, after several proposed trips were deferred or cancelled. BJP plans to step up its campaign against Congress over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.The Telangana programme, announced by BJP Telangana president N Ramchander Rao on Monday, would be held under the slogan ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy)’. It comes a day after Congress and other Opposition leaders are scheduled to hold a rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Nov 1, alleging irregularities in electoral roll revision and demanding the removal of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.The back-to-back programmes are part of BJP’s effort to counter the Opposition’s allegations over SIR and mobilise party workers through public outreach. Shah’s participation in both Telangana and Haryana is expected to give the campaign a national profile.Shah’s proposed visits to Telangana have faced repeated disruptions. His last visit was in May 2024 for Lok Sabha election campaigning. Several subsequent programmes were postponed or cancelled, including a visit scheduled for Oct 3 and 4 this year. That trip, which was to include events in Toopran and Karimnagar and meetings with party leaders, was cancelled at the last minute.Rao has accused Congress of spreading misinformation about SIR and challenged chief minister A Revanth Reddy to identify eligible voters whose names were wrongly deleted. He also criticised Congress leaders for planning to attend the Delhi rally while Telangana faces rainfall deficits and water shortages.After Hyderabad, Shah is scheduled to participate in a padayatra in Karnal (Haryana) on Nov 5. The consecutive programmes underline BJP’s plan to counter the Congress campaign through coordinated public mobilisation.
