Page 7 - Election Commission Of India

Documents of 98.2% electors received during SIR exercise in Bihar: ECI

The exercise to collect their documents with the help of BLOs and volunteers is going on

Bihar SIR case: SC allows excluded voters to submit claims with Aadhaar

'Surprised' at limited role of parties in helping voters whose names were deleted

Cong hails SC directive on Bihar's SIR, says ECI exposed, discredited

Welcoming the Supreme Court directive on the Bihar SIR issue, the Congress on Friday said democracy has survived a "brutal assault" from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and claimed that the poll body stands "totally exposed and discredited". The opposition party said the Supreme Court has laid down guardrails to make the revision more inclusive by including political parties in the process, and alleged that so far, the ECI's approach has been "obstructionist and contrary to the interests of the voters". The Congress' assertion came after the Supreme Court directed the ECI to allow excluded voters to submit claims through online mode besides making physical submissions in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi allowed claim forms to be submitted along with Aadhaar card number and any one of the 11 acceptable documents in the SIR. Expressing surprise over political parties not comi

CPI (ML) Liberation files two claims, objections to SIR in Bihar: ECI

According to the press release, CPI (ML) Liberation is the only political party to file the claims between August 1 and August 22

Bihar SIR: ECI files affidavit in SC, says list of dropped voters published

The list also contained the reasons for their non-inclusion, including death, shifting of ordinary residence or duplicate entries, ECI told Supreme Court

Rajya Sabha remains in deadlock as SIR protests force adjournment till 2 pm

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till the post-lunch session within minutes of assembly on Tuesday, as Opposition MPs persisted in demanding a discussion on alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Soon after listed official papers were laid on the table of the House, slogan shouting Opposition MPs moved into aisles and well of the House raising the issue of SIR, leading to proceedings being adjourned till 2 pm. The House will reconvene after the lunch break. Deputy Chairman Harivansh rejected 20 notices that invoked Rule 267, which allows suspension of listed business to discuss matters being raised in them. Without indicating the subject, he said the notices were received on four different subjects, but none of them adhered to the prescribed rules and so were not admitted. He called for taking up the listed Zero Hour, where MPs raise issues of urgent public importance, but sloganeering drowned his attempts. He also object

Rahul Gandhi warns CEC, 2 ECs of action when INDIA bloc forms govt

Asserting that "vote chori" is an attack on 'Bharat Mata', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday warned the chief election commissioner and the two election commissioners of stern action when the INDIA bloc forms government. Intensifying his attack on the Election Commission, Gandhi also said the whole country would ask the poll body for an affidavit and if given time, his party would bring out the "vote chori" in every assembly and Lok Sabha constituency. The fresh attack on the EC by the Congress leader came a day after CEC Gyanesh Kumar served a seven-day ultimatum on him to submit a signed affidavit to back his vote theft claims, else his allegations will be considered baseless. Gandhi said that just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about special package, the poll body also brought in a "new special package" for Bihar, which is named SIR (Special Intensive Revision), a "new form of vote theft". His remarks came on the second day of the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' which began

Bihar SIR: After SC directive, EC allows excluded voters to submit Aadhaar

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday said people who have been left out of Bihar's draft voter list can submit a copy of their Aadhaar to include their name in the electoral roll, after the Supreme Court directed the poll authority to accept the card as proof of identity. In a statement, the EC said according to rules, the claims and objections are to be disposed of by the concerned electoral registration officer not before the expiry of seven days after the verification of eligibility documents. It also underlined that according to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders, no name can be deleted from the draft list published on August 1 without passing a speaking order by the electoral registration officer (ERO) after conducting an enquiry and after giving a fair and reasonable opportunity. The list of 65 lakh people excluded from the draft list is available on the websites of the district magistrates of Bihar. "Aggrieved persons may submit their claims along with a copy of their

Govt introduces Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill 2025 in LS, sent to committee

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2025, which seeks to decriminalise certain minor offences to promote ease of living and business, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday and referred to a Select Committee. Introducing the bill, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the bill seeks to enhance trust-based governance for ease of doing business. The Bill was then referred to the Select Committee of the Lok Sabha. The committee has been tasked to submit its report to the House by the first day of the next session of Parliament. The Bill was introduced amid din as Opposition parties protested demanding a discussion on the voter roll revision in Bihar and other issues. As the protests continued, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM. Over 350 provisions are proposed to be amended through this Bill. The legislation is part of the government's efforts to improve the business climate of the country. Earlier in 2023, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment to Provisi

EC makes public names of 6.5 mn people deleted from Bihar voter list

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday came out with the names of 65 lakh people who were removed from the draft electoral rolls published as part of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, officials said. The development came in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's direction that details of the deleted names be made public by August 19 and a compliance report be filed by August 22. The EC is publishing the names of 'ASD' (Absentee, Shifted, and Dead) voters across polling booths, and is likely to do so online as has been directed by the apex court, they said. According to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bihar, ASD lists have been displayed at polling booths in Rohtas, Begusarai, Arwal and other places.

SIR new weapon of 'vote chori', will protect 'one person, one vote': Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is a "new weapon" of "vote chori" and vowed to protect the 'one person, one vote' principle. He made the remarks in a post on his WhatsApp channel while talking about his meeting with a group of people who had cast their vote in the previous Lok Sabha election but their name had been deleted in the SIR exercise in Bihar. Gandhi met the group at the launch of his Vote Adhikar Yatra in Sasaram on Sunday. In his post in Hindi along with a picture of the meeting, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, "SIR is a new weapon of vote theft. Coincidentally, these people standing with me in this picture are 'living' proof of this theft." "All of them had cast their vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections - but by the time Bihar assembly elections came, their identity, their existence was erased from the democracy of India," he said. "Do you know who they are? Raj Mohan Singh (70): Farmer and

Issue between EC, Congress should not be discussed in Parliament: Rijiju

Rijiju also announced that Parliament will hold a special discussion to honour Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his recent space visit to the ISS as part of India's space mission

Akhilesh asks EC to verify affidavit receipts over 2022 UP poll 'anomalies'

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to see the acknowledgement receipts of affidavits submitted to the poll body by the party regarding "anomalies" in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. In a post on X, Yadav demanded the poll panel to issue an affidavit confirming the authenticity of the digital receipts his party received against its submissions. He also shared screengrabs of their submissions regarding the 2022 Assembly poll results in Amapur, Bakshi Ka Talab, Jaunpur Sadar and Kursi constituencies. His remarks came after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at a press conference on Sunday spoke about the "vote theft" charges levelled by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against the poll body. The CEC also spoke on the issues flagged by several opposition parties about the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Hitting back at the allegations, the CEC questioned why "vote chori" charges are raised if no elect

AI, deepfakes real challenges before election commission: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said artificial intelligence and deepfakes pose a real challenge for the poll panel, which will try its best to tackle them within the framework of law. He also indicated that machine-readable electoral rolls could result in breach of voters' privacy. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said, "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfakes are indeed real challenges for us. Just yesterday, an X handle had shared an AI-generated video that was far from truth." "The Election Commission will try its best to tackle such challenges, but it can only operate within the framework of the law," the chief election commissioner said. On the opposition demand for machine-readable electoral rolls, Kumar said the Supreme Court has already given a judgment in this regard in 2019. "The Supreme Court has already said in 2019 that it can result in a breach of voters' privacy," he said. Kumar added that a few days ago, photos of several voters we

Give affidavit or apologise: CEC Gyanesh Kumar hits back at Rahul Gandhi

The remarks by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) came on a day when Gandhi-led opposition launched the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar and stepped up attack against the Special Intensive Revision

Voter list in machine-readable form can't be shared: CEC cites SC order

Citing a 2019 Supreme Court judgment, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the voter list in machine-readable format cannot be shared with political parties. He also said there was a difference between machine-readable and searchable formats. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said that the voter list available on its website can be searched using a voter card number and can also be downloaded. He said the machine-readable format is barred as it can be edited and can lead to its misuse. The Congress has been demanding the voter list in machine-readable format, saying it will help it flag flaws. The CEC said that in 2019, the top court had sided with its stand that a machine-readable format cannot be shared as it could compromise voters' privacy. Officials pointed out that the issue was already raised by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress ...

EC can't discriminate among political parties: CEC on voter fraud charge

CEC Gyanesh Kumar said only those whose names are in the voter list cast their votes to elect their candidate

Rahul Gandhi to kickstart 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' from Bihar's Sasaram today

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will on Sunday begin from here his 1,300 km-long 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' that will cover over 20 districts in Bihar, as the Congress steps up its campaign against what it claims to be "vote chori". With the Assembly polls barely three months away, Gandhi, along with RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and other Mahagathbandhan leaders, will launch the yatra from BIADA Ground Sasaram, and after 16 days, the yatra will conclude with a rally in Patna on September 1. Gandhi is also expected to address a gathering later this evening at Ramesh Chowk, Aurangabad. In a post in Hindi on X on Saturday, Gandhi had said, "16 days, 20+ districts, 1,300+ km. We are coming among the people with the Voter Adhikar Yatra. This is a fight to protect the most basic democratic right - 'one person, one vote'." "Join us in Bihar to save the Constitution," he added. The 'yatra' will be in a hybrid mode, on foot and by vehicle, as was Gandhi's Manipur to Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra ahea

EC rejects voter data fudging charge, says parties missed scrutiny window

Seeking to counter opposition parties' allegations of fudging in voter data, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday said it seems that some political parties did not examine the electoral rolls at the "appropriate time" to point out errors to the poll machinery and noted that it welcomes a scrutiny of the document to help its officials remove flaws. In a statement, the EC said the period for raising claims and objections after the draft voters' list is published is the appropriate time for parties to flag flaws. "It seems that some political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) did not examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any...," it said. It noted that recently, some political parties and individuals raised issues about errors in the electoral rolls, including the electoral rolls prepared in the past. The appropriate time, it said, to raise any issue with the electoral rolls would have been during the "Claims and Objections"

Public has woken up: Rahul shares new video highlighting 'vote theft'

Alluding to Bollywood movies, the Congress stepped up its campaign against alleged "vote theft" on Saturday by releasing a new video titled "laapata vote" to highlight the claim. Posting the video on X, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, "'Chori chori, chupke chupke' no more, the public has woken up." His party posted the video on its official social media account and said the "theft of your vote is theft of rights". "Let's raise our voice against vote theft together and save our rights," the party said. In the video, a man is seen pleading in the police station that his "vote has been stolen" and tells the officials there that "lakhs of votes are being stolen", leaving the police personnel wondering if their vote has also been "stolen". The minute-long video is titled 'laapata vote' with 'ladies' cut out from between, a reference to the Kiran Rao-directed movie 'Laapata Ladies'. The Congress released a video depicting how fake votes were being cast on Wednesday, too. Ga