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Elections to the five city corporations, under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will be held after May 25 with ballot papers instead of EVMs, Karnataka Chief Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi said on Monday. He also said that that zilla and taluk Panchayat polls, that are expected later this year, will also be held using ballot papers "Elections will be held tentatively after May 25, after SSLC (class 10) and PUC (class 11 and 12) examinations are over," Sangreshi said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, this time the GBA election will be held using ballot papers. "There are two best practices to hold elections, ballot papers were held since the beginning, but since the last 20-30 years EVMs are being used. Use of ballot papers is not barred by law or by the judgements of the Supreme Court," he said, defending the decision to use ballot papers. The Congress government in Karnataka in September last year had decided to recommend to the State Election Commission (SEC) to h
Counting of votes polled in elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra began on Friday morning with the spotlight on Mumbai, where the BJP-led Mahayuti bloc is locked in a prestige battle with the reunited Thackeray cousins for control of India's richest civic body. Polling for 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards in these municipal corporations, including 227 in Mumbai, took place on Thursday. As many as 15,931 candidates are in the fray in the 29 civic corporations, which had 3.48 crore eligible voters. Around 50 per cent polling was recorded in the 29 municipal corporations, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said after the end of voting. A voter turnout of 52.94 per cent was recorded in the Mumbai civic polls, down from 55.53 per cent in the last elections in 2017, officials said on Friday. In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whose annual budget is over Rs 74, 400 crore, 1,700 candidates are vying for 227 seats in elections being held after a
The Election Commission of India on Monday issued a clarification on the notice issued as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision in Goa to former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd), stating that his enumeration form did not contain mandatory particulars related to the previous SIR. The ECI had asked Prakash, who has been settled in Goa since his retirement, to attend a meeting to establish his identity as part of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls. Several netizens, including those who retired from the armed forces, had expressed concern about such a notice to Prakash, a Vir Chakra awardee for his role in the India-Pakistan War of 1971. In a clarification issued on Monday, Electoral Registration Officer Dr Medora Ermomilla D'Costa said, "In the context of media reports relating to notices issued during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it is clarified that during the course of SIR, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) of Part No. 43 of Cortalim Assembly Constituency ...
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged manipulation in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Uttar Pradesh electoral roll under pressure from the ruling BJP and termed it a case of "vote theft". The draft electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh was published on January 6, with 12.55 crore voters making it to the list and the names of 2.89 crore deleted, according to official data. In a statement issued here, Yadav said the Election Commission (EC) conducted the SIR of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly voter list and the State Election Commission simultaneously conducted the exercise for panchayat elections. In both exercises, the work was done by the same booth-level officers, he said. "Surprisingly, after the assembly SIR, the total number of voters in the state dropped by 2.89 crore to 12.56 crore. On the other hand, after the panchayat SIR, the number of rural voters increased by 40 lakh to 12.69 crore," he added. Questioning the EC, the SP chief said, "Tell us whic
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a "Book-a-Call with BLO" facility to make voter services more accessible during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, even as the claims and objections period remains open till February 6, 2026. According to an official statement, voters can now book a phone call with their respective booth level officer (BLO) to seek information or assistance related to the electoral roll, including inclusion, deletion or correction of details. The service is available through the ECI portal voters.eci.gov.in and the ECINET mobile application. After logging in with a registered mobile number or completing the sign-up process using an OTP, voters can book a call by entering their EPIC or reference number, or alternatively by providing details such as state, district, assembly constituency and booth number. The concerned BLO will contact the voter within 48 hours. The draft electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh
The Maharashtra State Election Commission on Friday announced that Thursday, January 15, will be a public holiday in areas falling under the 29 municipal corporations where polling for civic elections will be held, an official said. The holiday will apply to government and semi-government offices, corporations, boards, public undertakings, banks and central government offices within the jurisdiction of the civic bodies. The poll commission said administrative preparations, including readiness of EVMs (electronic voting machines), have been completed, and urged the public to take an active part in the democratic exercise. In a separate order, State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare directed that adequate numbers of polling and counting personnel be appointed and that all such officials complete required training in time. He said strict action will be taken against those officials who skip the training. Waghmare issued the instruction during poll review meetings on January 6 and
The Election Commission has said West Bengal residents working or studying outside the state will no longer be required to physically attend hearings under the SIR of electoral rolls and will be allowed to submit documents online through a soon-to-be-launched portal, a senior poll panel official said on Thursday. "If they themselves cannot attend the hearing, a family member may go on their behalf. Documents submitted online will be accepted by the commission," the official told PTI. The decision is aimed at addressing the challenges faced by migrant laborers, students, and professionals residing outside the state who were previously required to be physically present for hearings. Meanwhile, the poll body expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of some booth-level officers (BLOs), alleging that in many instances, they have ignored official instructions and made independent decisions. According to sources, the commission has warned that any deliberate errors by BLOs will lead to
The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred to January 13 the final hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in several states, including Bihar. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, which had fixed the pleas for hearing during the day, said it will resume the proceedings on Tuesday. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel, was to resume advancing his arguments in the case. On January 6, the Election Commission had told the bench that it has the power and competence to undertake Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, besides there is a constitutional duty to ensure that no foreigners are registered as voters. The pleas challenge the EC's decision to undertake the SIR exercise in several states, including Bihar, have raised significant constitutional questions on the scope of the poll panel's powers, citizenship and the right to vote.
The Election Commission (EC) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it has the power and competence to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, besides there is a constitutional duty to ensure that no foreigners are registered as voters. The submissions were made by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi on behalf of the EC before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The bench resumed final hearings on a batch of petitions challenging the EC's decision to undertake the SIR exercise in several states, including Bihar, raising significant constitutional questions on the scope of the poll panel's powers, citizenship and the right to vote. Dwivedi pointed out that all key constitutional functionaries across the three organs of the State must be Indian citizens, citing provisions such as Article 124(3) of the Constitution relating to the appointment of Supreme Court and high court judges. He said one of the key conditions for the appointme
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Tuesday that the Election Commission is using mobile applications developed by the BJP's IT cell to conduct the ongoing SIR exercise in the state. Speaking to reporters before concluding her two-day visit to Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district to oversee preparations for the upcoming Gangasagar Mela, Banerjee accused the EC of "resorting to all kinds of wrong moves while conducting the electoral roll revision. The EC is resorting to all kinds of wrong moves for conducting the SIR. It is marking eligible voters as dead' and forcing the elderly, ill and indisposed to attend hearings. It is making use of mobile apps developed by the BJP's IT cell for the exercise. This is illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic. This cannot go on, the chief minister alleged. The TMC supremo's fresh set of allegations against the poll panel was made on a day when her party MP Derek O'Brien moved the Supreme Court against the EC, claiming it
The Election Commission has revised the schedule for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, with the draft voter list now slated to be published on January 6, 2026, and the final list on March 6, the state's Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the new schedule, claims and objections will be invited from January 6 to February 6, he said. Rinwa said the notice stage, disposal of claims and objections, and decisions on enumeration forms will continue from January 6 to February 27, after which the final electoral roll will be published on March 6. The revision of the schedule comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state, where a large-scale pruning of voter list has been carried out. The nearly 52-day SIR exercise, conducted with the theme 'Shuddh Nirvachak Namavali, Majboot Loktantra' (Clean Electoral Roll, Strong Democracy), began on November 4 and ...
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal took a swipe at the government on Monday over the death of booth-level officers in various parts of the country engaged in the SIR exercise, asking whether the presence of one alleged "infiltrator" was not okay, but the death of BLOs was okay. Sibal's remarks came a day after a Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found dead in West Bengal's Bankura district, triggering allegations that work-related pressure linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may have played a role. "Yet another suicide by a Bengal BLO. Total pan-India: 33. If one alleged 'ghuspetia (infiltrator)', that's not OK, if 33 BLOs die, is that Ok?" Sibal said in a post on X. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said last month that the government would throw out infiltrators from the country and alleged that some political parties are opposing the SIR exercise as they want the names of infiltrators to remain on the electoral rolls. The latest death of a BLO occurred in t
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday claimed that the removal of 2.89 crore voters' names in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign has sparked an infight within the ruling BJP. Yadav's remark came in the wake of a meeting of BJP MLAs from the Brahman community in Lucknow. "While the apparent reason for the infighting within the Uttar Pradesh BJP may be a 'rebel meeting,' the real reason is that news has already spread among BJP MLAs that 2.89 crore voters' names have been removed in the SIR," he said in a statement. On December 23, BJP MLAs from the Brahmin community met at the Lucknow residence of party MLA from Kushinagar district, P N Pathak. Around 40 MLAs from Purvanchal and Bundelkhand participated in this meeting, which stoked types of speculations. "According to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who has 'one year left' in his term, approximately 85-90 per cent of his own voters have been removed from the list. The political mathematical anal
The names of 10.56 lakh voters have been deleted after the Special Revision of electoral rolls in Assam, where assembly polls would be in less than six months. According to the integrated draft rolls released by the Election Commission on Saturday, the state has a total of 2,51,09,754 voters, excluding 93,021 D-Voters or doubtful voters. Additionally, the names of 10,56,291 voters have been deleted due to death, shifting, or multiple entries. D-Voters are a category of voters in Assam who have been disenfranchised by the government on account of their alleged lack of proper citizenship credentials. D-Voters are determined by special tribunals under the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the person declared as a D-Voter is not given a voter card. All related particulars, such as name, age and photograph, of D-Voters have been carried forward to the draft electoral roll without any change. The draft rolls were published after house-to-house verification of the Special Revision was held from .
The hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal will commence on Saturday, with 3,234 centres set up across the state, a senior official said. Around 32 lakh "unmapped" voters, those who are unable to establish linkage with the 2002 electoral roll, will be called for hearings in the first phase, he said. Voters will be allowed to submit any of 12 recognised documents, including Aadhaar, as proof of identity and address, the official at the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said on Friday. However, the commission has clarified that the Aadhaar card will not be accepted as a standalone document. "Electoral lists prepared during the recent SIR exercise in Bihar will also be considered valid documents. However, submission of fake or forged documents will be treated as a punishable offence," the official warned. State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said all preparations for the hearings have been completed. "Th
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at the Election Commission, alleging that there were gross errors in the SIR exercise conducted so far in the state. Addressing a meeting of TMC's booth level agents at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here, Banerjee also alleged that the EC was appointing observers without informing the state govt, and working to foster the BJP's interests. The Election Commission is working only as per the directions of the BJP. There are gross errors in mapping of voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in the state, she alleged. The TMC supremo also asserted that cental officers who have been appointed micro observers for SIR hearings have little knowledge of the local language, and are unfit to conduct the verifications during the second phase of the ongoing revision exercise.