Why Nara Lokesh defends Election Commission amidst SIR row
Andhra Pradesh minister for HRD, IT, electronics and communications, and real-time governance, on September 30, defended the Election Commission (EC) and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting at the same time that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), while being a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), would continue to raise concerns if any with the poll body.
Lokesh shared his position during the session ‘Andhra’s Next Leap: Governance, Growth, Education and Global Ambition’ at the India Today Conclave South in Kochi. Responding to questions on the Opposition’s demand for chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over the SIR row, Lokesh said the TDP had itself sought clarifications on SIR, including while it was in the Opposition.
He said the system was not perfect but maintained that the EC was working to resolve its shortcomings. Lokesh cited Andhra Pradesh’s experience, saying 92 per cent of the voters had been mapped during the SIR exercise in the state.
Lokesh rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that the EC was working at the behest of the BJP, arguing that Opposition parties needed stronger booth-level organisation and should take responsibility for ensuring that their voters were on electoral rolls. “It’s easy to blame the Election Commission when you lose,” he remarked.
Lokesh said the TDP, as part of the NDA, would continue to voice its views internally on issues concerning the Union government. He described the party’s role as one of giving feedback while remaining within the alliance.
As the discussion shifted to Gen Z, jobs and education, Lokesh said employment was the single biggest concern among young Indians and outlined the Andhra Pradesh government’s target of creating 2 million jobs through curriculum changes, industry-linked ITIs and investment.
On education, he said 16,000 teachers had been recruited and argued that the entrance examination system required reform. He also highlighted the Andhra government’s plans to encourage students to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies.
Lokesh pitched Andhra Pradesh as an investment destination built on the “3S mantra”—speed, service and stability. He said the state was pursuing investments across 23 clusters, including AI, quantum computing, data centres, manufacturing and renewable energy. Nevertheless, he acknowledged shortcomings in governance, conceding that the state had “missed the bus on energy planning”, while arguing that stronger economic growth would eventually help Andhra Pradesh service its debt obligations.
