Bihar SIR row hearing LIVE: Supreme Court to resume hearing pleas against Election Commission electoral roll revision
The top court on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) said 'mistakes' might have happened while preparing the draft Bihar electoral roll and pointed to the Election Commission of India's (ECI) willingness to correct those even as petitioners reminded the court of its promise to 'step in' if the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) led to 'mass exclusion'.
Also read: Bihar draft rolls are not helpful in finding new, existing voters
The top court also agreed with the ECI decision to not accept Aadhaar and voter cards as conclusive proof of citizenship in the ongoing exercise and said it has to be supported by other documents.
Also read: SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls and its political ripple effects across India: Data
The draft roll was published on August 1 and the final roll is scheduled to be published on September 30 amid Opposition claims that the ongoing exercise will deprive crores of eligible citizens from their right to vote.
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Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
The SIR controversy
The controversy of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls carried out in Bihar seems to be a never-ending political battle. It would be beneficial for all to remember that India thrives on perceptions and controversies. False or half-truth narratives built by vested interests are a potent tool for our politicians to sway voters. Sometimes these false narratives are also created at the behest of anti-national elements, both within and outside the country. Therefore, at some point, such controversies must be dealt with decisively before they can harm the nation. The EC prepares and maintains the electoral rolls as mandated by the Constitution of India. These lists are updated continually due to various reasons, including deaths, new voter additions, migration, among others. Therefore, any apprehensions that the EC does so under pressure from the government are misplaced. Normally, the onus should be on citizens themselves to inform the local authorities if a name has to be deleted or added. Unfortunately, as a society, we lack such civic responsibilities. Therefore, the responsibility to do so rests with the EC. In the country's over-packed election calendar, such exercises will have to be conducted intensively during the short free periods available. Much has been written and said about Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar over the last six weeks. Charges, counter-charges, allegations, and explanations are being traded between the EC, opposition parties, and the government. Unfortunately, the controversy rages on. The opposition is accusing the EC of manipulating the voter lists in Bihar before the next elections to favour the NDA. In his press conference on 07 August 2025, the LOP claimed that the NDA and EC had played similar dirty tricks in the last elections in Karnataka and Maharashtra. He backed these claims with some data from his party's internal investigation. The question that arises here is, if the LOP has convincing data of such a fraud, why has he not submitted it to the EC formally? Is it not incumbent on him to do so as he holds a constitutional post equivalent to a cabinet minister? Given his position in the parliament, the EC will always be ready to give him a patient hearing. But the problem is with the Gandhi scion himself. He refuses to sit formally with the EC and instead makes declarations of all kinds on the streets or in front of the media. His aim is clear. He wishes to incite the public and build a public opinion against the government. He has no genuine interest in resolving any issue through the correct channels in the public interest. Mr Sharad Pawar, the NC (P) founder and a member of the Rajya Sabha, made a statement in Nagpur on Saturday, 09 August 2025, where he said, 'Last year, before the Maharashtra assembly polls were declared, two people came to meet me in Delhi. They told me that of 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra, they can guarantee victory for us in 160.' He further stated, 'I did not have any reason to suspect EC. I also thought during polls, we run into such people, and so I ignored them.' He confirmed that the same people also met Rahul Gandhi. Taking the high pedestal, Mr Pawar concluded by saying that he and Rahul Gandhi decided not to pursue the matter further and allow fate to decide their fortunes. Yet, he maintains that the claims of LOP must be investigated. Maharashtra was a state that Mr. Pawar and Rahul Gandhi wanted to win at any cost. While they may be lauded for their righteous approach, it is hard to believe that they passed the opportunity. But if they did because they neither suspected the EC nor believed in the possibility of manipulation by the people who approached them, then why are they making such a hue and cry about possible frauds in electoral rolls? Mr. Gandhi, in his press conference, admitted that there were serious issues of duplicate, fake, invalid, and multiple entries of voters at the same address. If he is so convinced, then he should welcome the SIR in Bihar before the next elections, rather than seeing it as a fraud against the opposition. Mr. Gandhi's reluctance to discuss the issue with the EC in a formal manner and Mr. Pawar's belated claims give the impression that they are neither serious nor convinced. The EC does not carry out such revisions in isolation. In Bihar, there were nearly 150,000 Booth-level Agents (BLA) of different parties who were part of the SIR exercise with Block Level Officers (BLO). Surprisingly, no representations have been filed against any wrong deletions by the EC by any of the BLAs. The irony is that Mr Tejasvi Yadav, leader of RJD, was himself exposed for having two entries in the electoral rolls with separate unique numbers. The one he flashed to reporters, claiming his voter card's unique number had been deleted, turned out to be bogus. A simple check revealed that he had contested the 2020 elections using another voter card with a different unique number. He used the same card in the 2024 elections. If a senior leader like Mr. Yadav has two voter identities, imagine the state of affairs in the entire state. In this regard, this is what Congress's senior minister K N Rajanna had to say to the media about Rahul Gandhi's charges in Karnataka, 'One should remember that voter lists were revised when our government was at the helm. Why did our party turn a blind eye then? It is true that there are irregularities, but it is insulting for us that it happened right under our noses.' Perhaps in Karnataka, the discrepancies favoured Congress at that time. Within a couple of hours of this statement, Mr. Rajanna was stripped of his cabinet rank and suspended from the party. This is the internal democracy in Congress where no internal dissent is permitted. In the current environment, there is a strong possibility that this false narrative may raise questions about the credibility of the government, EC, and, in turn, the nation's democratic credentials. Notably, it also harms the image of the world's largest democracy. The onus to prevent all this lies squarely on the government. Therefore, it is time to act and take the bull by the horns. The starting point will be the claims by Mr Gandhi in his press conference and Mr. Pawar's statement. It is immaterial if either of them has not approached the government formally. It is time for the government to take the initiative, either through the EC or the Supreme Court, by filing a suitable case. These leaders cannot be allowed to present their cases only on the streets or in the media without accepting any responsibility. National interests demand that they be asked to substantiate their claims formally, and the matter be investigated to settle it one way or the other. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Hindustan Times
40 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Congress launches 'Vote Chori se Azaadi' campaign; urges for support by displaying picture
The Indian National Congress (INC) on Friday urged people to join the 'Vote Chori se Azaadi' campaign in support of Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's "vote theft" claims against Election Commission of India (ECI) and BJP. New Delhi, Aug 12 (ANI): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP and party MP Rahul Gandhi, party General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal during a meeting with General Secretaries, In-charges, and Frontal Heads of the Indian National Congress, in New Delhi.(X/AICC) In an 'X' post, the Congress party urged people to change their display picture (DP) on social media handles and offer support to the initiative. "On the occasion of Independence Day, join the campaign for freedom from 'vote theft'. Change your WhatsApp DP," the 'X' post said. On August 14, ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, announced the launch of "VoterAdhikarYatra" against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called on people to 'join this people's movement.' Making the announcement in a post on X, the Congress MP said, "From August 17, with #VoterAdhikarYatra, we are launching a direct fight against vote theft from the soil of Bihar." The announcement came amid the continuous protests by INDIA bloc leaders and amid its campaign of alleged "vote chori" (vote theft). "This is not just an election issue - it is a decisive battle to protect democracy, the constitution, and the principle of 'one man, one vote.' We will ensure a clean voter list across the entire country. Youth, workers, farmers - every citizen, rise and join this people's movement. This time, the defeat of vote thieves - the victory of the people, the victory of the constitution" On August 7, MP Rahul Gandhi slammed the Election Commission of India(ECI) and alleged that the elections are "choreographed". Presenting Congress' research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka, Gandhi alleged theft of 1,00,250 votes. Addressing a press conference, Rahul Gandhi said that Congress won other seats while Mahadevapura was swept by the BJP. "Elections are choreographed. Our internal polling told us we would win 16 seats in Karnataka; we won nine. We then focused on seven unexpected losses. We chose one Lok Sabha, and our team decided we could only focus on one Vidhan Sabha (seat). So we focused on Mahadevapur. Here is the broad math. All data is 2024 data from the Election Commission. Total votes polled in the Lok Sabha were 6.26 lakh. The BJP won with 6,58,915, securing a margin of 32,707. But then we look at Mahadevapura, where Congress polls 1,15,586 and BJP polls 2,29,632. Congress wins all Vidhan Sabhas but this one. This seat wins them the election," Rahul Gandhi said.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Kerala CM boycotts ‘At Home' called by Guv
Thiruvananthapuram: In a fresh display of the growing rift between Kerala Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues on Friday boycotted the traditional 'At-Home' reception hosted by the Governor at Raj Bhavan as part of Independence Day celebrations. Although invitations had been extended to the Chief Minister and all ministers, none of them attended the evening function. The state government was represented only by Chief Secretary The absence of the political leadership is being widely seen as a public reiteration of the ongoing tensions between the Governor and the state administration. The friction between the two sides has sharpened in recent months over multiple issues, most recently, the controversy surrounding a government circular to observe 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day' and the disputes over temporary appointments of vice-chancellors in state universities. The issue of the appointment is now under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court. Interestingly, the state government had sanctioned an additional Rs 15 lakh for the Governor's reception this year, despite the strained relations. The allocation was made under the 'hospitality expenses' head after relaxing earlier cost-cutting directives. The funds were sanctioned based on a request from the Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor, who sought financial clearance to host prominent citizens and distinguished guests at the Raj Bhavan reception. Sources indicated that the decision to allocate the amount was taken even as the dispute over university appointments was at its peak. The gesture, however, did not translate into political participation, as the Chief Minister and ministers stayed away from the gathering. Traditionally, the Governor's 'At-Home' event is a high-profile social occasion, bringing together senior officials, political leaders, and eminent members of society. The visible absence of the ruling front's top political figures this year underscores the deepening institutional standoff in Kerala's governance. Observers note that while the administrative machinery continues to function, the lack of political engagement between the Governor and the state's elected leadership could complicate decision-making on key matters, including higher education appointments and protocol-related events in the coming months.
