Opposition meets EC, opposes Bihar poll roll revision
Leaders from 11 parties, including the Congress, RJD, CPM, CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, NCP-SP and Samajwadi Party met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other election commissioners, objecting to the special scrutiny being conducted just a few months ahead of the assembly election in the state.
The INDIA bloc parties have been vocal in their opposition to the exercise of the Special Intensive Revision, which has already started in Bihar, and is to be carried out in five more states -- Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal -- that are going to polls next year.
Speaking to media after the meeting, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi said they also protested against the new directive of the poll panel for entry to the Election Commission premises that ask only party presidents to appear before it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
The thick red line: Why India shouldn't agree with US on agri
July 9, Donald Trump's tariff deadline, is fast approaching. He's expecting a "very big deal". Indian officials camping in Washington, DC, have extended their stay, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar rushing to the US capital to meet his counterpart, Marco Rubio. Amid all this diplomatic hustle and heat, New Delhi's goal is clear — secure a favourable interim deal for India before Trump's threatened high tariffs, up to 26%, on Indian exports, kick in. But there's an impasse in the talks. India has a "big red line", on which it will find difficult to negotiate. Team Trump is reportedly seeking concessions from India in the agriculture and dairy sectors. There are big reasons why India shouldn't agree to the US demands on agri and Delhi has dug in its heels, and is determined to safeguard India's domestic agricultural sector, and the dairy domain. Millions of Indians, about 40% of the population, are employed in the sector, even though it's not as heavily subsidised as farming in the US, whose government is driving a hard bargain to ensure American agricultural products don't face steep import tariffs in the US tries to project it as an attempt at creating a level playing field, the situation is heavily tilted in its favour. A mere quid pro quo tariff regime will not address the mismatch created by the US by providing massive subsidies to its farmers vis-a-vis farmers in India. While farmers in the US get over $61,000 in subsidies annually, their counterparts in India get just $282 a India rightly called the agriculture and dairy sectors a "big red line", it, in all likelihood and fairness, shouldn't give in to Trump's demands because doing so could jeopardise the livelihoods of nearly half the country's workforce dependent on agriculture, say the data and could expose the Indian market to heavily subsidised US farm dumping, undermine food security standards, some tied to religious and cultural practices, fear experts and reportedly the Indian government and a think tank."As far as the import of genetically modified (GM) soybean, maize and dairy products from the US is concerned, the government does not seem to be ready for it at all," agricultural expert Om Prakash tells India Today there are risks of cross-pollination from GM crops that could harm India's native seed varieties. There's also the matter of dietary sensitivities and consumer trust, especially in dairy, where feeding cattle animal remains clashes with Indian cultural and religious values."India is protective of its farmers, which is why they have relatively high tariffs compared to anywhere in the world," agricultural trade expert Sharon Bomer Lauritsen told Politoco."They're going to protect their farmers," added the former negotiator of the US Trade ROLE IN EMPLOYMENT: INDIA-US CONTRASTadvertisementFirst, let's look at the numbers. They will highlight how agriculture produces, employment, and their demand and supply vastly differ between India and the US, and why trade negotiations must acknowledge these realities with of 2020, around 196.64 million people were employed in agriculture in India, compared to just 2.11 million in the US. Agriculture accounts for 41% of total employment in India, while in the US, it is merely 1%. At 14.6%, agriculture is one of the biggest components of India's GDP, while it contributes 0.92% to the American it comes to average farm size, the difference is average farm holding in the US is about 180 hectares, while in India, it is just 1.08 in the US also receive significantly more government support, with an average of $61,286 per farmer (2016), compared to $282 per farmer in India (2018–19), according to World Trade Organisation (WTO) data, accessed from Kisan Tak, India Today Digital's sister portal on agriculture, farmer welfare and expert Om Prakash says that India has been constrained by the WTO's discriminatory policies since the Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) came into effect on January 1, 1995. He argues, "India's farm subsidy is significantly lower, even more so when adjusted per farmer, yet the WTO continues to pressure India to reduce it even further".advertisementKisanTak's Prakash ties them directly to the WTO's flawed subsidy accounting WTO's subsidy accounting method is flawed because it doesn't look at how many farmers India has. It just counts the total money given to them. On the other hand, the US, with fewer farmers, gives more money, and each farmer gets a much bigger sum. But in India, where millions of farmers get little help, it looks like India is giving more than it should, even when it's IF INDIA LOWERS TARIFFS ON US FARM AND DAIRY GOODS?To ring-fence its farmers and the agriculture sector, India is forced to charge much higher import tariffs on agricultural products compared to the average, India puts a 39% tax on farm goods coming from other countries. But for the items that are imported the most, the tax goes up to 65%. This shows how strongly India protects its farmers by making imported farm goods more expensive. In contrast, the US keeps its agricultural import taxes lower, with a simple average of just 5% and a trade-weighted rate of 4%, according to data from the New Delhi-based think-tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has warned that reducing import tariffs on subsidised US agricultural products, particularly grains, could harm Indian farmers and destabilise food prices in India. Lowering tariffs could allow cheap, subsidised US grains to flood the Indian market, especially when global prices are would potentially undercut local farmers and disrupt the domestic food supply in staples like frozen shrimp, basmati rice, and spices still lead India's export basket, there's been a notable surge in shipments of processed cereals and other value-added food products. On the import side, India continues to source premium items from the US, with almonds, pistachios, and walnuts making up a significant AAYOG BACKED GM IMPORTS, CONGRESS PROTESTEDA March NITI Aayog discussion paper titled Promoting India-US Agricultural Trade Under the New US Trade Regime highlighted stark productivity gaps between the two noted that "India's average soybean yield has stagnated around "one tonne per hectare", whereas in the US, it is "3.4 tonnes per hectare". Similarly, "maize yields in India are just 3.5 tonnes per hectare," compared to "11.1 tonnes per hectare in the US".advertisementThese differences, the now-withdrawn paper says, show there is "a clear scope for improvement" in India's agricultural paper, whose withdrawal attracted Congress MP Jairam Ramesh's attack on the Centre, argued that beyond strategic trade management, "India must undertake medium-term structural reforms to improve the global competitiveness of its farm sector". These reforms should focus on "bridging the productivity gap with developed nations by embracing appropriate technologies", while also "nudging states to undertake long-pending reforms".It further called for "liberalising private sector participation", enhancing logistics, and developing "competitive value chains" to strengthen India's agricultural exports. The Centre's move to do the same suffered backlash during the farm protests of is the world's biggest buyer of edible oil, and the US has a lot of soyabean oil to export, which comes from genetically modified crops. The NITI Aayog paper said India could allow some imports of this oil to reduce the trade imbalance with the US, without hurting local farmers."Except for cotton, no other GM crop is allowed to be cultivated in India. In such a scenario, the question of importing GM soybean and maize from the US for consumption simply does not arise. In essence, the US-India trade deal poses a trial by fire for the Indian government, to safeguard the interests of farmers, agriculture, and the faith of the country's vegetarian population," Om Prakash tells India Today NITI Aayog paper also said India should try to get better access to the US market for top exports like shrimp, fish, spices, rice, tea, coffee, and rubber. India earns about $5.75 billion every year from farm exports to the US, and this could grow if India negotiates for lower duties or special trade leader Jairam Ramesh, on June 30, pointed out that the NITI Aayog working paper had been withdrawn from the think-tank's website. India Today Digital also could not access it. Ramesh alleged that the paper recommended duty-free import of GM maize and soyabean from the US. He added, "For the Modi sarkar, the interests of Midwestern American farmers and large Multinational Corporation traders are bigger than that of the maize farmers of Bihar and soyabean farmers of MP, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan".Lowering tariffs could also disrupt India's food security."In today's geopolitically unstable world, food security must remain sovereign," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava was quoted as saying by news agency Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a June interview with the Financial Express, said that New Delhi will not compromise on areas that affect vulnerable domestic said that agricultural and dairy sectors remain "very big red lines" in the HOLDS FIRM ON BAN OVER ANIMAL-FED COW MILK PRODUCTSThen there are dietary, cultural and religious sensitivities that complicate the issue of dairy imports from the US, especially when it comes to genetically modified products or items derived from animals not raised according to the norms of several Indian communities. These concerns are deeply rooted and can't be dismissed as mere trade hurdles, as they touch upon dietary restrictions, traditional practices, and firmly maintains its ban on importing dairy products from cows fed animal-derived feed, according to the USRT's National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report, according to news agency ANI."Imagine eating butter made from the milk of a cow that was fed meat and blood from another cow. India may never allow that," GTRI's Srivastava wouldn't like to compromise with milk and dairy products as they are used in religious rituals are several reasons why the big red line exists when it comes to food imports. Cultural beliefs, employment, the agricultural markets, and concerns over the long-term impact are some of them. GM crops' impact on health and the environment is another concern. These are not just policy preferences but emotional and political red zones trade is deeply sensitive in India too. These developments follow the massive farmer protests in 2020-21 and again in 2024. The policy shift revamping agricultural trade triggered protests and resistance, enough for the Centre to a way forward may be there. Sure, it'll take time, persuasion, trust-building, and change, which could be in favour of one of the two parties. But why not both?- EndsTune InMust Watch
NDTV
31 minutes ago
- NDTV
Why Poll Body Is Revising Bihar Voter List. Why Opposition Is Against It
Patna: As Bihar gears up for Assembly polls later this year, the Election Commission's launch of a Special Intensive Revision of the state's voter list has sparked a massive row. While the poll body stresses that this revision is aimed at ensuring transparency and weeding out ineligible voters, Congress and other Opposition parties have alleged that it will exclude genuine voters. The ruling BJP has shot back, accusing the Congress of trying to shield fake voters. What Is Special Intensive Revision Launched on June 24, the Special Intensive Revision aims to add the names of eligible citizens to the voter list and weed out ineligible voters. The last such revision for Bihar was carried out in 2003. The Election Commission has said multiple reasons, such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths, and the inclusion of names of foreign illegal immigrants, have made this revision necessary. How Will This Be Done For this revision, the Election Commission has said, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct a house-to-house survey to verify voters by reviewing documents. The poll body has said it will strictly follow provisions regarding voter eligibility and grounds for disqualification. The Election Commission has said poll officials have been asked to ensure that genuine electors, particularly old, sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), poor and other vulnerable groups are not harassed and facilitated to the extent possible. It has also sought help from political parties to ensure discrepancies are resolved at the preparation stage of the revised voter roll. The Process: Step By Step The poll body has said the Electoral Registration Officer would give the Enumeration Forms and give it to BLOs. The BLOs would distribute these forms to electors through house visits and guide them to fill them up. Forms and documents can also be uploaded online. Once the forms are submitted and checked, a draft electoral roll will be published on the ECI/CEO website and shared with political parties. Voters or political parties can flag objections to the draft list. After a decision on these objections, a final list will be published. Migration A Key Factor A large chunk of Bihar residents migrate to other states for work and visit their hometown only during festivals. Most of them do not hold a voter card in their place of work and have retained their voting rights at their home constituency. This is the most vulnerable group as far as the current revision is concerned. The Representation of the People Act says "a person shall not be deemed to be ordinarily resident in a constituency on the ground only that he owns, or is in possession of, a dwelling house therein". In that case, many of these migrants must prove their voting rights in Bihar if they want to continue as Bihar voters, or they must enrol in the voter list at their place of work. As per law, no person is entitled to be registered in the electoral roll for more than one constituency. What Has Chief Election Commissioner Said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has said eligible citizens should register themselves as voters only in constituencies where they are ordinary residents and not the place where they own a house. "As per the Representation of the People Act, you are entitled to vote only in the assembly constituency where you are an ordinary resident. For example, if you ordinarily reside in Delhi but own a house in Patna, your vote should be registered in Delhi, not in Patna." Officials have said many voters have a voter card where they stay now, and also retain their earlier card from before migration. This is a criminal offence. The 2003 Voter List Standard The poll body has said that about 4.96 crore voters -- 60 per cent of the total Bihar electors -- whose names are in the 2003 special intensive revision need not submit any supporting document. The remaining need to provide one of the 11 listed documents to establish their place or date of birth. If a voter's name is not on the 2003 list, but his parents' names are on the list, he or she needs to submit only documents proving their place/date of birth. Two things we have objected to as preliminary issues: 1. The requirement that only the head or chairperson or president of the political parties could attend. 2. The rather pedantic insistence on two persons per party has no legal basis or sanction, which is most unfortunate.… — Congress (@INCIndia) July 2, 2025 Why Is Opposition Protesting Main Opposition Congress has said the voter list revision carries the risk of "willful exclusion" of voters using state machinery. A group of Congress leaders has said the poll body wants to discard the current electoral rolls entirely and create a fresh roll for Bihar. "This is a clear and explicit admission by the EC that all is not well with India's electoral rolls. Exactly what the Congress party and the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, have been repeatedly pointing out with evidence from Maharashtra," the group said in a statement. "But the revision is a devious and dubious idea in the disguise of a solution. Lakhs of union and state government officials will now control and dictate who has correct documents and who doesn't, who gets to vote in the upcoming Bihar elections etc. This carries a huge risk of willful exclusion of voters using the power of the state machinery," it said. Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly, said this revision months ahead of the Bihar election is a "conspiracy". "The last time the routine process of revision of voter list was done was 2003... it has not happened since. And when it happened in 2003, it took about two years to complete," he said. "Now elections are to be held in November. Two months are left before the notification process begins. That means the Election Commission has to make a new list... of 8 crore people... in just 25 days. And that too when 73 per cent of the state is affected by floods!" the RJD leader told NDTV in an interview. A delegation of INDIA bloc leaders from 11 parties met top Election Commission officials yesterday to register their opposition to the Special Intensive Revision, calling it the "worst attack on the basic structure of the Constitution." BJP's Counter The ruling BJP has said that the exercise is being conducted to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. "When the same ECI conducts elections in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, and Congress wins there, they raise no questions. However, this same party raises questions about the electoral process in Maharashtra and Haryana," party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, criticising the Congress. BJP's Bihar unit chief, Dilip Jaiswal, said it is the Election Commission's responsibility to ensure elections are conducted with complete transparency. "If any political party opposes this, it is wrong. Fake voting can be prevented by the revision of the voter list. Voters who have died will be identified. This process will also make it clear whether the voter is actually in Bihar or voting somewhere else. This is a very necessary step for transparency," he said. BJP leader and Bihar minister Nitin Nabin has questioned Congress's intent behind opposing the exercise. "If genuine voters are being verified and fake voters are being removed, is Congress sitting here to commit fraud? I want to ask the Opposition members who are opposing this, are you trying to gain power through fake votes?"
Mint
35 minutes ago
- Mint
Bihar Election 2025: AAP to contest solo; Arvind Kejriwal says BJP sent Congress to defeat us
Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday the party will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly Election alone, without the support of the Congress or the INDIA bloc allies. 'INDIA bloc was only for Lok Sabha polls. There's no alliance with the Congress now. If there was an alliance then why did Congress contest in Visavadar bypolls. They came to defeat us. The BJP sent Congress to defeat us and cut the votes,' Kejriwal said. In the recently-held bypolls, AAP candidate Gopal Italia won from Visavadar seat, Junagadh district in Gujarat. Italia, former party state president, won by a margin of 17,581 votes against BJP's Kirit Patel, with Congress candidate Nitin Ranpariya in third place. The AAP and the Congress had fought the 2024 Lok Sabha Election in an alliance. However, at state-level, the two parties have refrained from contesting the polls together. The AAP and the Congress had contested the Delhi and Haryana Assembly elections independently. The Bihar Assembly Election are likley to take place in October-November this year. The NDA, which consists of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will be once again looking forward to returning to power. In contrast, the INDIA Bloc will be giving competition to the incumbent Nitish Kumar government. In a significant political development in Bihar ahead of the Assembly polls, former Union Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh has merged his political outfit, Aap Sabki Awaz (ASA), with the Jan Suraaj Party, led by Prashant Kishor. Meanwhile, former BJP MP Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh has been elected as the national president of the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party. Besides, the Election Commission also announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar which aims to verify the eligibility of voters and ensure accurate electoral rolls ahead of the assembly elections expected to be held later this year. The opposition parties raised alarm over the exercise, claiming that it will be used to disenfranchise voters. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the poll body will "destroy" the country's democracy. Ramesh, who is also Congress' General Secretary in charge of Communications, drew a parallel between the demonetisation in 2016 and SIR by the Election Commission, stating that the PM's 'notebandi' destroyed our economy and the ECI's 'VOTE-Bandi', as reflected in the SIR, will destroy our democracy. The Bihar assembly elections are scheduled to take place at the end of this year, with the SIR exercise notified on June 24.
