Election News

BMC polls begin: Why Mumbai's civic body election carries high stakes

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which runs roads, water supply, healthcare and infrastructure, is India's richest civic body and a major political power centre

SIR is constitutional, stop the spectacle in UP: BJP hits out at Akhilesh

The BJP on Saturday asked Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav to refrain from making a spectacle of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh by making contradictory claims about the exercise. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a constitutional process, which the Election Commission is carrying out with complete professional and technical expertise, BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said, and asked Yadav and others in the opposition INDIA bloc to cooperate in the exercise with all seriousness. The remarks came after Yadav on Saturday claimed that the BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh knew how many voters would be removed from the draft electoral roll even before it was published, and questioned the poll panel's credibility. Slamming Yadav, Trivedi said the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief should first make it clear that names of which party's voters have been removed from the draft rolls, because recently he was claimin

CM Mamata urges CEC to halt 'arbitrary, flawed' SIR in West Bengal

Sharpening her attack on the Election Commission, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged CEC Gyanesh Kumar to halt the "arbitrary and flawed" SIR in the state, warning that its continuation in the present form could trigger "mass disenfranchisement" and "strike at the foundations of democracy". In a strongly worded letter dated December 3, Banerjee accused the commission of presiding over what she described as an "unplanned, ill-prepared and ad hoc" process marked by "serious irregularities, procedural violations, and administrative lapses". She asserted that the situation on the ground had worsened despite her two earlier communications to the chief election commissioner (CEC). "I am once again constrained to write to you in order to place on record my grave concern," Banerjee wrote, recalling that she had flagged similar issues in letters dated November 20 and December 2. "Regrettably, instead of any corrective course being adopted, the situation on the ground has only

West Bengal draft electoral rolls published: 5.8 mn voters deleted in SIR

Following the SIR, the draft roll is expected to include around 70 million voters, down from nearly 76 million electors listed before the SIR

ECI to release SIR draft rolls today: Here's how to check your name

India's voter rolls are undergoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to remove duplicate, fake, or ineligible names, including those of deceased or shifted voters

Election Commission extends timeline for SIR in 5 states and 1 UT

The decision came after several extension requests were received from the Chief Electoral Officers

Supreme Court warns of 'anarchy' as BLOs face threats during SIR process

The Supreme Court voiced concern over booth-level officers being threatened during the SIR of electoral rolls and asked the Election Commission to flag any non-cooperation by states

Law, identity, and the 2026 Assam mandate amid Sarma's reform pitch

Report looks at how the Sarma government's pitch for reform and transparency through three key decisions could open wounds in the state right before it goes to the polls

ECI extends Kerala electoral roll revision timeline ahead of polls

The Election Commission of India on Friday decided to extend by one week the SIR schedule for Kerala in view of the upcoming local body polls in the state. The local body polls will be held in the state on December 9 and 11 in two phases. The commission's order comes after Kerala submitted a request, as permitted by the Supreme Court, to extend the last dates for submission of the enumeration forms and other procedures which are part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Under the revised schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on December 23 as against the earlier date of December 16. The final electoral roll will be published on February 21, 2026 as against the earlier date of February 14, 2026, the commission said.

SC directs states to deploy more staff to support BLOs on SIR duty

Amid reports of multiple BLO deaths during the electoral roll revision, the Supreme Court ordered states to deploy additional staff and consider exemptions on a case-by-case basis to reduce hardships

WB govt offers ₹2 lakh aid to families of 39 dead amid SIR-related panic

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced that her government will provide a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of 39 people who, she claimed, have died in the state due to "SIR-induced panic", including cases of suicide. Thirteen others who fell ill during the SIR exercise including three booth-level officers (BLOs) allegedly burdened by "excessive workload" would also be given Rs 1 lakh each, she said. The chief minister, citing government assessments, said the rollout of SIR on November 4 has triggered widespread fear and distress among sections of the public. "Till now, 39 ordinary citizens, including four BLOs, have died due to the SIR panic, including suicides. Their families will be provided financial assistance," she said after a review of the state's 14-year development record at the state secretariat Nabanna. Banerjee added that 13 others were currently under treatment after collapsing or falling critically ill during ...

Who are BLOs and what is their role in the statewide SIR exercise?

Here's a look at who BLOs are, what their work involves, their role in the SIR process, and what is causing rising stress levels among them

Battle of the rolls in Bengal: How SIR is deepening political faultlines

The report looks at how the SIR has widened political faultlines, and triggered anxiety among voters, ahead of Assembly polls next year

No need to postpone Kerala's SIR, process nearing completion: ECI tells SC

The Election Commission said 99 per cent of voters have already received the forms, and 50 per cent of the forms are already digitised

Bihar Assembly elections results 2025: Top losing candidates and parties

Bihar elections results: The turnout in the first phase was recorded at 65.08 per cent, while in the second phase, 68.76 per cent of voters went to the polls

Congress' dismal outing in Bihar polls: Tracing party's past performances

In the 2025 elections, the Congress contested 60 seats as part of an alliance with the RJD. This was noticeably fewer than the 77 seats it contested in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections

Bihar election results: Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj draws blank on debut

Bihar elections 2025: Jan Suraaj positioned itself as a new-age party promising to create more job opportunities in Bihar, but early ECI trends show it will lose

Phulwari Assembly election results 2025: JDU's Shyam Rajak in lead

Phulwari constituency results: Phulwari, a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes in Patna district, has a mix of Dalit, Muslim, and other communities

Tarapur Assembly election results 2025: BJP's Samrat Choudhary wins seat

Tarapur constituency results: Tarapur is one of Bihar's important constituencies because of its strong political history

Patna Sahib Assembly election results 2025: BJP's Ratnesh Kumar wins seat

Patna Sahib constituency results: In the 2025 assembly elections, the state saw a record voter turnout in both phases, with the overall turnout at 67.13 per cent, making it the highest since 1951