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Electoral Reforms
Nearly 95 lakh electors in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar did not find their names in the draft electoral rolls published Tuesday. In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, out of 3.10 lakh electors, 64,000 electors did not figure in the draft rolls. Similarly in Kerala, names of 24.08 lakh of the over 2.78 crore electors were removed from the draft. In Chhattisgarh, out of 2.12 crore electors, names of as many as 27.34 lakh were removed. In the case of Madhya Pradesh, out of 5.74 crore, 42.74 lakh electors were removed from draft rolls. The final rolls will be issued on February 14 next year. Those removed from draft rolls can still apply for inclusion and elector registration officers will take a final decision.
Members of a BLO rights platform with Trinamool Congress leanings on Saturday staged a protest outside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here, demanding compensation for colleagues who allegedly fell ill or died during electoral roll-related duties and seeking planned scheduling of future assignments. During a demonstration that coincided with the arrival of a special team of the Election Commission (EC) in the city, protesters alleged they were denied a meeting with the visiting officials despite waiting for hours. The agitation, organised under the banner of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, brought along family members of a Murshidabad-based block-level officer who was admitted to a hospital after suffering a stroke, allegedly due to severe work pressure. The group accused the poll panel of "ignoring genuine grievances". The BLOs' platform raised two key demands compensation for families of workers who allegedly suffered severe health complications or died while ..
More than 37 crore or 72.66 per cent of enumeration forms have been distributed to electors in 12 states and Union territories so far as part of the Special Intensive Revision exercise being undertaken by the Election Commission. The ambitious voters list clean-up exercise in nine states and three UTs will cover nearly 51 crore electors. In a bulletin issued on Wednesday, the poll authority said that for more than 7.66 crore electors in West Bengal, 6.80 crore or 88.8 per cent of enumeration forms have so far been distributed. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the 12 states and UTs is being held between November and February next year. The states and UTs are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to polls in 2026. In Assam, where elections are also due in 2026, the ..
The TDP urged the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday to give adequate time to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh, saying it should not be held within six months of a major poll and the voters already enrolled in the latest roll be not required to reestablish their identity. The suggestions offered by the BJP ally to the poll watchdog come amid a political row over the ongoing SIR in Bihar as its implementation close to the Assembly polls in the eastern state and the burden of proof on prospective voters in many cases have drawn criticism from opposition parties. "The SIR's purpose must be clearly defined and limited to electoral-roll correction and inclusion. It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is not related to citizenship verification, and any field instructions must reflect this distinction," a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) delegation told the EC. Batting for the "presumption of inclusion", it said the voters who are alrea
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on July 10 a batch of petitions challenging the decision of the Election Commission to undertake special intensive revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A partial working day (PWD) bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of a battery of senior lawyers led by Kapil Sibal on behalf of several petitioners and agreed to hear the pleas on Thursday. Sibal urged the bench to issue notices to the poll panel on the petitions. "We will have it on Thursday," Justice Dhulia said. Several pleas, including by leaders like Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, have been filed in the top court challenging an Election Commission's order directing for special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Jha said the EC's June 24 order be quashed for being violative of Articles 14 (fundamental right to equality), 21 (fundamental right to life an
Preparation of electoral rolls in India is one of the world's most rigorous and transparent exercises, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has said before an international audience amid allegations of fudging in voter data. Electoral rolls are shared with recognised national and state parties in accordance with law every year during revision as well as before the elections, Kumar said in his keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity on Tuesday. The CEC said the rolls have been shared with recognised political parties since 1960 with provision of claims, objections and appeals. The remarks come close on the heels of opposition parties, including Congress, alleging fudging of voter data to rig elections. The poll authority has dubbed these charges as absurd. Addressing the event, Kumar said preparation of voters list is one of the world's most rigorous and transparent exercises, reinforcing the accuracy and integrity of the electoral ...
In a bid to update voters' list at a faster pace and make it free of errors, the Election Commission will now obtain death registration data electronically from the Registrar General of India. The EC said on Thursday this will ensure that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) receive timely information about registered deaths and allow booth level officers (BLOs) to reverify the information through field visits, without waiting for a formal request by the kin of the deceased. The poll body has the authority under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to seek such details. To make voter information slips (VIS) more voter friendly, the EC has also decided to modify its design. The serial number and part number of the voter will now be displayed more prominently, with increased font size, making it easier for voters to identify their polling station and for polling officials to locate their names in the electoral roll ...