Telangana marks 11 years of statehood with pride
Sridhar criticised the BRS and BJP for politicising the notices issued by the PC Ghose commission set up to detect financial irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project and conspiring against the Congress. He described Congress as a party that represents all castes, calling it the 'people's party'.
Grandeur at Parade Grounds
Nizamabad celebrated Formation Day on a grand scale at the Police Parade Ground. Government departments in the district showcased their services through specially decorated vehicles. Police officers and staff who rendered meritorious service were presented with certificates of appreciation.
In Kamareddy, the celebrations were held at the IDOC. Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Patel Ramesh Reddy attended the event. He stated that the government is committed to developing world-class infrastructure and delivering high-quality services to citizens.
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Indian Express
3 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Behind EC's use of ‘notional' house numbers: Inclusion in roll, lack of standardised addresses
Citing the findings of the Congress's internal investigation, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had alleged last week that over one lakh votes were 'stolen' in Karnataka's Mahadevapura Assembly segment — part of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat — during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Of these, he said, nearly half involved irregularities in electors' addresses. While the Election Commission (EC) is yet to respond to the charge, the claim spotlights a long-standing challenge for the poll body — the absence of standardised addresses for many voters, and the continued practice of assigning 'notional' house numbers. Gandhi said the Congress analysed the Mahadevapura electoral rolls over six months and found that of 1,00,250 alleged bogus voters, 40,009 had 'fake and invalid addresses' and 10,452 were 'bulk voters' registered at common addresses. Examples included entries with '0' in the address field, non-existent locations and addresses that could not be verified. For much of India's electoral history, the electoral rolls were simple lists with only the elector's name, age, a relative's (father, mother or husband) name, constituency and serial number. While the 'house number' column was there, it was often left blank. Some pages of the rolls from 1980, 1983 and 1988 examined by The Indian Express list only the serial number, name, gender and age in most cases, with house numbers given for some electors. However, some of these house numbers were notional, they were known as 'temporary house number', an official said. The EC began computerising the rolls in 1998 and introduced photo electoral rolls in 2005, according to its 2023 Manual on Electoral Rolls. It was during this shift to digital records that the practice of assigning 'notional' addresses became standard across the board, ensuring that electors without a permanent or well-defined address — or those who left the field blank — were not excluded from the database. The problem of inconsistent or informal addresses goes beyond the drafting or revision of electoral rolls. The Centre has repeatedly acknowledged it as a long-standing challenge – most recently in May, when the Department of Posts, in a policy document, proposed creating a digital public infrastructure to standardise addresses. 'Despite the centrality of address information in everyday life, frictions exist in how such data is managed, shared and used across India,' it noted, citing linguistic diversity, inconsistent formats and fragmented address data. Current and former Election Commission (EC) officials told The Indian Express that over time, when electors either lacked a proper address or left the field blank, they were assigned 'notional' addresses to ensure their inclusion in the rolls. EC instructions dating back to at least 2011 – and reiterated as recently as June 24 for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar — direct that such numbers be allotted and clearly marked as 'notional' in the roll. Identical wording appeared in instructions to Chief Electoral Officers of poll-bound states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana, in May 2023. Officials said the practice exists nationwide, but tends to draw greater attention in urban constituencies with high migrant populations and unplanned settlements. It stems from the Commission's stated philosophy of inclusion, not exclusion, from the electoral roll. For example, in the case of homeless persons, EC guidelines instruct Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to verify the address given in Form 6 at night — checking on more than one occasion — to confirm that the person actually sleeps there. No documentary proof of residence is required if this is established. A 2011 EC training module for BLOs stated that where a municipality has assigned house numbers, those should be used, as they also appear on Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) that double as address proof for other government schemes. Where no official number exists, or the sequence is irregular, BLOs are to assign notional numbers starting from 1 in each section. These numbers, the manual noted, are 'computer generated' and 'not necessarily in consonance with the number allowed by the municipality'. In illegal colonies, municipalities sometimes allot '0' as a house number to avoid conferring legal status, an official said. It is unclear whether this was the case in the addresses Gandhi cited. A former Chief Election Commissioner, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the quality of electoral rolls has improved over the years and a notional address was not an irregularity. Similar objections have surfaced earlier — during the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, for instance, the BJP flagged voters listed with '0' as their house number. In the most recent draft roll published in Bihar on August 1, the use of notional numbers has continued.
Indian Express
33 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Minta Devi, 124 not out' – error in Bihar woman's age on voter list gives ammo to Opposition; she says gave correct details
Amid the Opposition's protests in Parliament over alleged anomalies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, the case of Minta Devi, a first-time voter from Siwan district whose age was listed as 124 years in the voters' list, has drawn attention. The district administration claimed the discrepancy was a clerical error during the online application process, but Opposition leaders took it as fresh ammunition to question the SIR process. Minta Devi, a resident of Arjani Pur village under Daraundha Assembly constituency, was recently issued a voter ID card in which her age was given as 124. According to her Aadhaar card, her correct date of birth is July 15, 1990, making her 34 years old. 'I came to know about this only a few days ago,' Minta Devi said. 'I received my voter ID card just one or two months ago. I did not check it carefully then. When the issue gained attention, I looked at my voter card and realised the mistake,' she said. She had applied for the voter ID card online from a cyber café after several failed attempts to register through the local Booth Level Officers (BLOs), she said, adding, 'I gave the correct details based on my Aadhaar card. This error must have happened while typing or later.' Her husband, Dhananjay Kumar Singh, said no official visited their home during the SIR process. 'The BLOs sit at a common place in the village and collect details, so such mistakes are bound to happen,' he claimed. In an official communication dated August 11, addressed to the District Election Officer, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Daraundha Assembly constituency confirmed the error. 'During the verification process, Minta Devi's Aadhaar card was reviewed and her correct date of birth was found to be July 15, 1990,' the letter said. The District Public Relations Office of Siwan on Tuesday said, 'Following the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 1, 2025, the BLO identified the error in age and contacted Minta Devi. She has since submitted Form-8 on August 10, 2025, with the reference ID S04109G8C1008251200004, and the correction will be processed as per guidelines.' The Opposition INDIA bloc has seized upon the Minta Devi incident as evidence of alleged irregularities in the process. On Tuesday, INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest in the Parliament complex wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan — 'Minta Devi 124 Not Out.' Congress leader Pawan Khera posted on social media, sarcastically nominating Minta Devi for a world record. 'We proudly nominate Minta Devi for the Guinness World Record: THE YOUNGEST LOOKING OLDEST HUMAN in India — courtesy the several miracles of @ECISVEEP. Waah Modiji Waah,' he posted. Congress MP K C Venugopal also took to social media, saying, 'The Election Commission has done a great service to humankind! They discovered the oldest living human, Smt. Minta Devi, whose age is listed as 124 years in the Bihar SIR! The mega voter fraud done by the ECI can never be allowed. INDIA will keep protesting until it is stopped.' 'Verified' over 119-year-olds Meanwhile, two other similar cases involving two entries in the draft roll of the SIR where the voters were shown to be over the age of 119 have been verified as accurate, officials claimed. In Pirpainti Assembly constituency in Bhagalpur district, the local administration said they confirmed one Asha Devi to be 120 years old after cross-checking with her Aadhaar card. According to an official verification report submitted by the BLO concerned, Asha Devi was found to be alive and residing in Srimatpur village. 'Her Aadhaar card states her date of birth as January 1, 1905, making her approximately 120 years old,' the report noted. A similar case was reported from Gopalganj district, where Mantruria Devi, residing in Balha village under Baroli Assembly constituency, has been listed in the voter rolls since 2003. Her age was 97 in the 2003 voters' list, and was 119 in the latest electoral roll published on August 1, the local administration said. A verification report dated August 12, issued by the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer-cum-Block Development Officer, Baroli, confirmed her age. 'During physical verification conducted in the presence of the BLO, BLO supervisor, ward members and villagers, it was confirmed that Mantruria Devi is alive. Her Aadhaar card reflects her date of birth as 01.01.1906, matching the age of 119 years stated in the electoral roll,' the report said. Officials also clarified that Mantruria Devi's name was not newly added, but has been part of the electoral roll for decades. 'Media reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate,' the document said.
Hindustan Times
33 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Cong plans nationwide protests on ‘voter fraud'
A day after its march from Parliament over the alleged vote theft, the Congress party announced a series of programmes to put more pressure on the Election Commission while keeping the 'vote theft' issue at the centre of the party's campaign. Cong plans nationwide protests on 'voter fraud' Gandhi hinted that the Congress will come up with more data on vote theft. 'Wait for a few days. Please keep patience. This is being done at the national level systematically. Earlier, we didn't have proof. We want to save the Constitution that says one man, one vote. It is the duty of the EC to enforce this rule. We are not going to stop. Abhi picture baaki hai.' After the meeting, NSUI chief Kanhaiya Kumar announced that 'On the eve of Independence Day, i.e., on the night of 14 August, the Congress party will organise a 'Save Democracy Torch Procession' in all district headquarters across the country.' The party will also organise rallies with the theme 'Vote Thief-Leave the Throne' in all state headquarters across the country from August 22 to September 7. And from September 15 to October 15, a 'signature campaign' will be conducted across the country to protect the right to vote. Kumar told the media that 'Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi presented the conspiracy of vote theft with evidence before the country. It is clear that democracy is being strangled today. In such a situation, the Congress party will fight against this vote theft with full strength. Therefore, three important programs were decided in this meeting.'
