Page 8 - Election Commission

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

'SIR means stealing votes from the people of Bihar': Rahul slams BJP, ECI

The Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD Leader Tejashwi Yadav today held a 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Aurangabad district

People's support will shield EC when it walks the right path: Akhilesh

Stating that Election Commission has the "historic responsibility" of safeguarding democracy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that when it takes the "right course", support of crores of Indians will become its shield. Yadav said that a single "correct and bold step" by the poll panel could secure the future and welfare of countless generations in the country. "The Election Commission needs not just reforms but a complete transformation. Today, the historic duty of protecting democracy rests on its shoulders. We understand that it faces various unwarranted pressures, but it must not think it stands alone," Yadav said in a statement. When one walks the path of truth, people and their faith walk along, the Samajwadi Party leader said. "When the Election Commission chooses the right course, crores of Indians will stand behind it as its shield. When one walks the path of truth, people and their faith walk along. A single correct and bold step by the commission can ..

EC stands 'thoroughly exposed' for incompetence, partisanship: Cong

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the Election Commission stood "thoroughly exposed" not only for its "incompetence" but also for its "blatant partisanship" after the poll body hit out at the opposition party for its "vote chori" charges. The Congress also termed as "laughable" the claims made by the EC that it makes no distinction between the ruling party and the Opposition. Soon after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two election commissioners addressed a press conference over the Congress' charges, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked whether the poll body will implement the Supreme Court's August 14 orders in letter and spirit. "Today, a short while after Shri Rahul Gandhi launched the INDIA janbandhan's Voter Adhikar Yatra from Sasaram, the CEC and his two ECs began by saying they make no distinction between the ruling party and the opposition. "This is laughable, to put it very mildly, in the face of mountains of evidence to the contrary. Notably, th

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"

SC asks ECI to detail docs considered in 2003 Bihar electoral roll revision

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to inform about the documents considered during the 2003 intensive electoral roll revision in Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, which resumed the hearing on a pleas challenging the June 24 ECI decision to conduct the special intensive revision (SIR) in the state said, "We would like ECI to state what documents were taken in 2003 exercise". The remarks came after advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for one of the parties, said referred to the court reportedly saying "if the date of January 1, 2003 (the date of earlier SIR) goes then everything goes". "I must submit that nothing was there to show why this date is there The impression sought to be conveyed is that it is the earlier date when the intensive exercise for revision of the electoral roll was held. It is stated that the EPIC (voter) card issued then is more reliable than issued during summary exercises conducted from time to time,

EC notice to NDA MP, her MLC husband for possessing two voter cards

The Election Commission on Thursday served notices to LJP (Ram Vilas) MP from Bihar's Vaishali Veena Devi and her husband Dinesh Singh, a JD(U) MLC, for allegedly possessing two voter ID cards each, an official said. The EC's action came hours after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the couple possessed two voter ID cards each. "The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for Muzaffarpur assembly constituency has sent notices to the MP and her husband asking them to submit their replies to the EC over the issue of possessing two voter ID cards by August 16," the official said. Yadav, the leader of opposition in the assembly, shared purported screenshots of draft electoral rolls published following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), claiming that the NDA MP and the MLC have two voter cards each. "Is it not a case of fraud, manipulation, and collusion by the Election Commission to ensure a victory for BJP-NDA?" he asked. Speaking to reporters, Veena Devi claimed, "I don't know

Give proof, don't use phrases like vote chori, says EC amid voter data row

Amid relentless attacks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over alleged voter data fudging, the Election Commission on Thursday said instead of creating false narrative by using "dirty phrases" like 'vote chori', proof should be given. In a statement, the EC said the law for "one person one vote" is already is existence since the first elections in 1951-1952. "If anyone has any proof of any person actually voting twice in any election, it should be shared with ECI with a written affidavit rather than colouring all the electors of India as 'chor' without any proof," it said. The poll authority said that by trying to create a false narrative by using "dirty phrases" like "vote chori" for Indian electors, is not only a direct attack on the crores of Indian electors but also an assault on the integrity of lakhs of election staff. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, last week cited data to allege that more than one lakh votes were 'stolen' in the Mahadevpura assembly ...

WB chief secy summoned by ECI over refusal to suspend 'tainted' officers

West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, who was summoned by the Election Commission in New Delhi to explain the state government's decision not to suspend "tainted" officers over alleged irregularities in electoral roll revision, left for the national capital on Wednesday morning. The poll panel on Tuesday summoned Pant to Delhi to report in person to Nirvachan Sadan, the ECI headquarters in the national capital, by 5 pm on August 13. "He will explain the rationale behind the state government's decision," one senior bureaucrat told PTI. The move came in response to Pant's communication to the Election Commission of India on Monday, stating that suspending the identified officers and filing FIRs against them, as directed by the poll panel, would be "disproportionately harsh" and have "demoralising impact" on the officers' community in Bengal.

We'll need some facts, figures on SIR of Bihar electoral rolls: SC to ECI

The Supreme Court of India had earlier said that it will step in immediately in case of a 'mass exclusion' in the SIR of the electoral rolls in Bihar

Rahul criticises EC over 'One Man, One Vote,' vows to protect Constitution

Gandhi further accused the Election Commission of neglecting its duty, asserting that the Congress party is committed to protecting the Constitution and will continue to do

PM should resign if EC says there are discrepancies in electoral rolls: TMC

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet should resign and the Lok Sabha be dissolved if the Election Commission says there are discrepancies in the electoral rolls. Banerjee, who is the national general secretary of TMC and considered the number two in the Mamata Banerjee-led party, said that the "EC cannot selectively say" that the voter list is fine in some states such as Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, but not in West Bengal, Bihar or Tamil Nadu. "If SIR (special intensive revision) of electoral rolls is conducted, it should be held across the country and the first step should be the resignation of the prime minister and his cabinet and the Lok Sabha has to be dissolved," he said. The TMC leader claimed that if the present government has been elected on the basis of the same voter list, then the legitimacy of the central government is null and void. Lok Sabha polls in the country were held in mid-2024. "If

Cong has no issues with EC where it wins: Dilip Ghosh on 'vote theft' claim

On Monday, the INDIA bloc MPs took out a march from the Parliament to the EC in Delhi against the alleged irregularities in the 2024 general election and against the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar

LIVE: LS passes Income-Tax (No 2) Bill and Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Fight against SIR is to protect people's right to vote: Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the protest against 'vote chori' and SIR is a fight to protect people's right to vote and a struggle to save democracy, and asserted the INDIA alliance will expose BJP's "conspiracy". His remarks came as top opposition leaders were stopped from taking out a march to the Election Commission office to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. In a post on X, he said, "BJP's cowardly dictatorship will not work!". "This is a fight to protect the people's right to vote. This is a struggle to save democracy," he said. "The allies of the INDIA coalition will surely expose this BJP conspiracy to shred the Constitution," Kharge said in his post in Hindi. Kharge was among those who participated in the Opposition MPs protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission office. The protesting MPs were prevented by the police from moving forward and were detained and taken away in buses. Kharge and Rahul G

MPs dont need permission to walk on streets of Delhi: Ramgopal Yadav

If you cannot meet MPs citing the excuse of space, then that in itself is a comment on what kind of work you are doing.This (SIR) is a fraud; you are not providing classified data, Manoj Jha told ANI

Rahul Gandhi detained during Opposition march to EC protesting Bihar SIR

During the Opposition's protest march to the Election Commission over Bihar's voter rolls stopped by police, Rahul Gandhi and several leaders were detained