Underage Sarpanch elected in Gujarat: 19-year-old's victory exposes election blunder
The irregularity came to light not during the election process, but while preparing a list of young Sarpanches to be felicitated by the Chief Minister at an upcoming event in Gandhinagar, said a source.
During the verification of documents, officials from the district panchayat discovered a mismatch in the age of the newly elected Sarpanch, Afrozbanu Sipai. Her Aadhaar card shows a birth date of 8 December 2004, while her school leaving certificate mentions 7 January 2005, making her just 19 years and 8 months old, and therefore ineligible to contest.
Shockingly, this discrepancy allegedly went completely unnoticed during the election process. It was only when the school leaving certificate was requested for the felicitation ceremony that officials realised the violation.
The incident has triggered outrage and raised serious questions about the due diligence of election officials and returning officers responsible for verifying eligibility.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Affidavit Or Apology: Election Commission's 7-Day Ultimatum To Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar hardened his stance today regarding Rahul Gandhi's "vote theft" allegations, saying noting less than an affidavit on the matter or apology to the country will do. He has been given seven days to take either course of action. "An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country," Mr Kumar said. "There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless," he added. Mr Gandhi's allegations that the Election Commission is actively helping the BJP by inflating electoral rolls with fake voters in multiple ways and other malpractices has sparked a huge row. He has alleged that a survey in Karnataka has found that six main irregularities were at play - same voter appearing multiple times in rolls, same voter in multiple states, non-existent addresses, bulk voters at a single address, indistinguishable photo on voter IDs and misuse of Form 6 for first-time voters. Earlier today, he launched a 1,300-km 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' from Bihar's Sasaram to step up the Opposition INDIA bloc's campaign against "Vote theft". On the occasion, he said there is a "new conspiracy" to "steal" polls by deleting and adding voters through SIR or special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Election Commission has repeatedly denied the allegations and has been demanding that he submit an affidavit to back the allegations. The Commission has also fact-checked a video posted by the Congress, alleging that it was AI-generated and is meant to "mislead the voters of Bihar". "Electoral Rolls for each Assembly Constituency of Bihar are being prepared as per law and with full transparency," the Commission said in a post on social media. The matter is pending in the Supreme Court which has asked the Commission to accept Aadhaar from anyone challenging the dropping of their names from the electoral rolls. The Commission has struck off 65 lakh names from its draft list, contending that they include people who have died, moved or are voters in multiple places.
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Affidavit Or Apology: EC Warns Rahul Gandhi Over Vote Theft Allegations; Congress Reacts Sharply
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of 'vote theft' against the Election Commission, saying the Congress leader should either file an affidavit with evidence or tender a public apology within seven days. Emphasising that there was 'no third option', Kumar warned that if an affidavit was not submitted within the stipulated time frame, the allegations would be treated as baseless. Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Kumar said, "An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within 7 days, it means that all these allegations are baseless." #WATCH | Delhi: On Rahul Gandhi's allegations against ECI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says, "...An affidavit will have to be given or an apology will have to be made to the country. There is no third option. If the affidavit is not received within 7 days, it means… — ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2025 Rejecting Rahul Gandhi's allegations of double voting and "vote theft," Chief Election Commissioner Kumar asserted that all stakeholders are working to make the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) a success. "The truth is that step by step all the stakeholders are committed, trying and working hard to make the SIR of Bihar a complete success. When more than seven crore voters of Bihar are standing with the Election Commission, then neither can any question mark be raised on the credibility of the Election Commission nor on the credibility of the voters," CEC Kumar said. EC remarks came just hours after Rahul Gandhi, while speaking at the launch of Voter Adhikar Yatra in Sasaram, Bihar, criticized the Election Commission for seeking an affidavit solely from him. Congress Reacts To EC's Ultimatum To Rahul Gandhi The Congress reacted strongly to the Election Commission of India (ECI) issuing an affidavit-or-apology ultimatum to Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying, "Investigate, don't intimidate." In a post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit out at the Election Commission over its ultimatum to Rahul Gandhi, saying the LoP in Lok Sabha had only cited facts from the poll body's data and accused the ECI of incompetence and partisanship. "As far as the CEC's threats to Rahul Gandhi are concerned, all that needs to be said is that the LoP in the Lok Sabha had simply stated facts revealed by the ECI's own data. The ECI stands thoroughly exposed not only for its incompetence but also for its blatant partisanship," Ramesh said in a post on X. Ramesh added that the key issue now is whether the ECI will fully implement the Supreme Court's directive to publish the details of 65 lakh voters in a searchable format. He noted that the Court had also permitted the use of Aadhaar IDs as proof of voter identity in the Bihar SIR process, stressing that the ECI is constitutionally bound to comply and that the nation is waiting and watching. ALSO READ: How Connectivity Of UER-II And Dwarka Expressway Will Help NCR: Experts React To PM Modi's Infra Boost
India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
Can't Share Machine-Readable Voter List As It May Lead To Breach Of Privacy: CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi: Sticking to its firm stand of protecting the privacy of voters, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday refused to release machine-readable voter list – a demand repeatedly made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said machine machine-readable voter list has been banned since the 2019 verdict of the Supreme Court, as in such a list, the entries and photos can be tinkered with. 'We recently saw some media reports displaying voter lists with photos of electors without consent, which is a breach of privacy,' he said, adding that the poll panel was obligated not to circulate photos of mothers or sisters. He said machine machine-readable voter list is different from the searchable voter list, which is available on the ECI, where a voter can enter his details to check if his name is in the voter list. CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the ECI is standing like a rock with voters, and no eligible voter's name can be deleted to deny him or her the right to vote. He said within 56 hours of a Supreme Court order, the ECI has created a website for each district in Bihar, and it can be used to search a voter's name usingthe EPIC number. Earlier last week, the ECI accepted three key suggestions from the Supreme Court over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, agreeing to the addition of a list of non-included voters with reasons in the draft roll. For the convenience of citizens, the ECI said that in addition to the list of deceased, voters at two places and permanently shifted given by BLOs to all political parties since July 20, a list of non-included voters with reasons shall also be put in the draft roll. The list of non-included voters could be searched with the EPIC number, booth-wise, on the website of DEOs and the CEO, it said. The poll panel said those aggrieved can file their claim along with a copy of Aadhaar, a key second suggestion of the apex court. The ECI accepted the apex court's suggestion that those aggrieved can file claims along with a copy of Aadhaar. A source in the ECI said an aggrieved person can be defined as a person whose name is not present in the draft list (65 lakhs), and he or she can only file a claim, which has to be in Form 6 under the rules. The Form 6 already contains a column for Aadhaar. Earlier, during a hearing, the apex court directed the ECI to publish online the list of over 65 lakh voters proposed for deletion during SIR. However, citing ground reports and official documentation, ECI officials assert that the process has been far more transparent and collaborative than some Opposition voices suggest. The apex court's directions include uploading the full list of deletions, stating reasons for each deletion, allowing claims with Aadhaar for identification (not citizenship), and displaying these lists at Panchayat and BDO offices.
