CEC Gyanesh Kumar said only those whose names are in the voter list cast their votes to elect their candidate
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
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"
These revisions removed 9.4 million voters, with 1.7 million and 1.6 million deletions in 2009-10 and 2023-24, respectively.
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
Upping the ante over Rahul Gandhi's poll rigging claims, the Congress has launched a web page where people can register to demand accountability from the Election Commission against what it called was "vote chori" and express support for his demand for digital voter rolls. Anyone can click on the portal link and download "vote chori proof, demand EC accountability and report vote chori". It also carries Gandhi's video in which reiterated his explosive claims of a "huge criminal fraud" in the polls through collusion between the BJP and the EC He had cited an analysis in a constituency in Karnataka, and said it was "a crime against the Constitution". The portal also carries a message which states that the vote is the foundation of our democracy but it's under "systematic attack by the BJP, with the Election Commission complicit". "In just one assembly segment of Bangalore Central, we found over 1 lakh fake voters that helped the BJP win this Lok Sabha seat. Imagine this happening in
The Election Commission on Saturday said that since the Bihar draft voter list was published nine days ago on August 1, no political party has approached it for inclusion or deletion of names of individuals from the rolls. The draft roll will be available till September 1 for claims and objections under which parties and individuals can seek inclusion of eligible citizens left out and exclusion of those they believe are ineligible. The EC said between August 1 and August 9 (Saturday), no booth-level agent appointed by parties has approached poll authorities in the claims and objections procedure. On the other hand, 7,252 individuals have approached it for inclusion or deletion of names from the draft voters' list. "The Election Commission is repeatedly stating that no eligible elector is to be left out and no ineligible elector is to be included in the final electoral roll of Bihar. "Submit your claims and objections to rectify any errors in the draft roll of Bihar," a functionary
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Abu Azmi on Friday criticised the Election Commission of India, accusing it of showing blatant bias towards the ruling BJP, and alleged manipulation of the voter list in Maharashtra. Talking to reporters, the chief of the SP's Maharashtra unit claimed names of valid voters were added in the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar assembly constituency just six months before the elections last year, and inexplicably removed and substituted with those of non-residents. He demanded an urgent audit of voter rolls and swift fixes to prevent more discrepancies. Citing the outcome of the 2024 Maharashtra elections, Azmi said that the losses of key Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and veteran Balasaheb Thorat, were proof of wrongdoing. "People must take to the streets to protest against the wrongdoing of the ECI," he said, emphasising the need for accountability to protect democratic processes.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will hold the party's 'Vote adhikar rally' at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Friday, which is being organised in protest against the alleged "vote theft". The event, titled "Our Vote, Our Right, Our Struggle," will be held at 10:30 am at Freedom Park, where the Congress will demonstrate its strength for the cause. Through this rally, Congress has decided to use Karnataka as a launch pad for a movement against alleged electoral fraud. The party has alleged electoral fraud during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka based on its study of the Mahadevapura assembly segment. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretaries K C Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala, KPCC Working Presidents, Ministers, as well as party leaders and workers will participate in the ...
The Election Commission has asked Rahul Gandhi to submit names of voters he claims were wrongly listed, demanding a signed declaration after his allegations of electoral fraud in Karnataka
Rahul Gandhi alleged large-scale voter fraud in Karnataka's Mahadevapura, claimed Election Commission colluded with BJP; claims over 100,000 fake votes cast
ADR criticised the Election Commission's refusal to accept Aadhaar as valid voter ID in Bihar's roll revision, calling the move "patently absurd" given Aadhaar's widespread use in official documents
Over 100,000 voters in Bihar were found to be untraceable during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls, with millions found dead or relocated, according to the Election Commission of India
The Supreme Court's instruction last week to include Aadhaar is supposed to ease this situation somewhat
The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India to accept Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards as valid documents for the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar electoral rolls
The Supreme Court will hear multiple petitions on July 10 challenging the Election Commission's special voter list revision in Bihar ahead of elections, citing concerns over fairness and feasibility
CEC Gyanesh Kumar has said voter list updates are legally required before elections, amid opposition concerns over the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar
The Election Commission's review of Bihar's voter rolls has led parties to increase their booth agents amid concerns over deletion of names and voter disenfranchisement
As part of the intensive review, poll officials will carry out house-to-house verification to ensure an error-free voters' list, starting immediately with Bihar
The Election Commission (EC) has started an investigation into a complaint alleging that the wife of BJP's West Bengal president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar possesses two voter identity cards, a senior official said on Friday. Initial probe found that the minister's wife, Koel Majumdar, holds two voter ID cards with different EPIC numbers one registered in Balurghat and another in Jalpaiguri. While one card was issued under her maiden name, Koel Chowdhury, the second was created after her marriage under the name Koel Majumdar. "This could have been avoided had she submitted Form 18. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to notify the EC of any changes. In this case, the commission was not informed," the official said. He further explained that a new voter card was issued in Balurghat after she submitted Form 6. "Because the EPIC numbers and surnames were different, the error was not immediately detected. We are now verifying the photographs and other personal details