'Nitish hasn't spoken on SIR, how can I defy party?' says JD-U MP
Do you think you crossed the party line by criticising the SIR?
My party supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hasn't made any comment on the SIR yet. Then how can one say that I have deviated from the party's position? Ours is a one-leader party and there is no leader other than Nitish Kumar. All others are equal and I am as senior as any of them. I have stayed with the party all along, unlike some who are playing the 'Aaya ram gaya ram' act.
But the party has sent you a showcause notice...
The party has the right to do so. However, I don't know if the notice is signed by the national president or not. It has been sent by the party general secretary and I am not aware if the central leadership supports the showcause notice. The party has given me 15 days to answer. I will talk it after submitting my answer.
Why did you criticise the SIR exercise?
The EC should have consulted all political parties before taking such a big decision. EC should be seen as non-partisan. If they had consulted all parties, this criticism of timing shouldn't have risen. Several parties, including the BJP, are criticising the timing of the exercise. EC is a Constitutional body.
Voters have total faith in it. My criticism is about the timing of the move. It should have been done in summer. This is the farming season in Bihar and people are busy with agricultural work. Also, it is the monsoons and there can be unexpected floods. Besides, how can migrant workers in other states submit their documents in such short notice?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
No name will be deleted without notice, says ECI on Bihar SIR
The Election Commission of India (ECI) assured the Supreme Court on Saturday (August 9, 2025) that deletion of voters' names in the Bihar draft electoral roll, published on August 1 as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, would be done only after issuing prior notice indicating the grounds for the action. The ECI was responding to an application filed by Association for Democratic Reforms, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan and Neha Rathi, in court to direct the poll body to provide individual details of the approximately 65 lakh names deleted from the draft electoral roll. The affidavit did not directly address this point raised by the NGO. Instead, the commission said its policy would be adhere to the principles of natural justice by giving voters facing deletion a 'reasonable opportunity of being heard and furnishing relevant documents'. The subsequent order by the competent authority would be 'a reasoned and speaking' one. 'These safeguards are further reinforced by a robust two-tier appeal mechanism prescribed under the relevant rules, thereby ensuring that every elector has adequate recourse against any adverse action,' the EC said in an additional affidavit. Booth-level lists have been provided to political parties, the EC assured. 'To facilitate thorough scrutiny of the draft roll from August 1 to September 1, printed and digital copies of draft rolls have been made available to political parties, and online facility for the public at large,' the affidavit said. The poll body said 2.5 lakh volunteers, mostly Bihar government officials, have been deployed to assist eligible voters obtain requisite documents from the various State departments to avoid exclusion from the final electoral roll. 'Accordingly, even in cases in which any vulnerable elector does not presently possess any document, he/she would be facilitated in the process of obtaining such documents. The Commission is taking every possible step to ensure that eligible elector is not excluded from the electoral roll,' the affidavit updated about the ongoing claims and objections process following the publication of the draft roll. The poll body said advertisements in Hindi were issued setting out the timeframe and the manner for filing applications and participating in the claims and objections period so as to secure inclusion of the names of eligible voters before the final publication of the Bihar electoral rolls. The EC said it has completed the first stage of the SIR, which has yielded 'substantial progress'. Repeated house visits were made by the 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to collect enumeration forms to ensure no voter was left behind in Bihar. Provisions were made for any of the over 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs), appointed by 'all major political parties', to submit up to 50 enumeration forms in a day, the EC said. Special urban camps in 261 urban local bodies to attract the attention of urban voters and Hindi advertisements in 246 newspapers were issued and Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories were asked to facilitate the online/physical filing of forms to make sure that no temporary migrant from Bihar was left out of the roll. Young electors who attained the qualifying age as on October 1 are being wooed to enrol in special campaigns scheduled for the claims and objections period.
Economic Times
17 minutes ago
- Economic Times
'Not empty claims, he has unearthed vote theft': Aaditya Thackeray backs Rahul Gandhi's allegations on ECI
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday backed Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's recent allegations of large-scale "vote theft" during elections, asserting that the Election Commission is being "operated through the BJP office". "We had been saying this for a long time now that vote theft has indeed happened across the country, and that EC is operated through the BJP office. What Rahul Gandhi has shown are not empty claims. He has unearthed 'vote theft'..." Thackeray told the urged the Election Commission to engage in an open debate with Gandhi instead of issuing rebuttals."I think instead of challenging, EC should debate with Rahul information we have gathered is from their website itself. So, is their website and records incorrect?" he asked further. Earlier today, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-SCP chief Sharad Pawar said two people had approached him ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024, claiming they could guarantee 160 out of 288 seats. Speaking to the media, Pawar said that he arranged a meeting of these people with Rahul Gandhi, but ultimately both of them decided to turn down the offer, saying, "This is not our path." "I remember that before the Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced, two people came to meet me in told me that out of 288 seats in Maharashtra, we guarantee you 160 seats. I was surprised, to be honest, I had no doubts about the Election Commission," Pawar said here. "After that, I arranged a meeting with those people and Rahul Gandhi. Whatever they wanted to say, they said in front of Rahul Gandhi. But Rahul Gandhi and I were of the opinion that we should not pay attention to this; this is not our path," he added. The allegations, raised nine months after the Assembly elections results were announced, come amid Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleging "vote chori" (vote theft) across the country, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) 'colluding' with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Congress leader has also specifically raised concerns over the alleged addition of lakhs of voters in Maharashtra just months before the state polls in 2024, alleging the votes helped the Mahayuti coalition come into power. At a press conference on August 7, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were "choreographed" by the EC to benefit the BJP, which he said appeared "immune to anti-incumbency." Citing internal analysis, Gandhi said the Congress expected to win 16 seats in Karnataka but ended up with only nine. He said the Congress investigated seven unexpected losses, zeroing in on Mahadevapura, where he alleged vote theft involving 1,00,250 votes.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Not empty claims, he has unearthed vote theft': Aaditya Thackeray backs Rahul Gandhi's allegations on ECI
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday backed Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi 's recent allegations of large-scale " vote theft " during elections, asserting that the Election Commission is being "operated through the BJP office". "We had been saying this for a long time now that vote theft has indeed happened across the country, and that EC is operated through the BJP office. What Rahul Gandhi has shown are not empty claims. He has unearthed 'vote theft'..." Thackeray told the media. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program He urged the Election Commission to engage in an open debate with Gandhi instead of issuing rebuttals. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Undo "I think instead of challenging, EC should debate with Rahul information we have gathered is from their website itself. So, is their website and records incorrect?" he asked further. Earlier today, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-SCP chief Sharad Pawar said two people had approached him ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 , claiming they could guarantee 160 out of 288 seats. Live Events You Might Also Like: ECI should look into Rahul Gandhi's 'vote theft' presentation: Sharad Pawar Speaking to the media, Pawar said that he arranged a meeting of these people with Rahul Gandhi, but ultimately both of them decided to turn down the offer, saying, "This is not our path." "I remember that before the Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced, two people came to meet me in told me that out of 288 seats in Maharashtra, we guarantee you 160 seats. I was surprised, to be honest, I had no doubts about the Election Commission," Pawar said here. "After that, I arranged a meeting with those people and Rahul Gandhi. Whatever they wanted to say, they said in front of Rahul Gandhi. But Rahul Gandhi and I were of the opinion that we should not pay attention to this; this is not our path," he added. The allegations, raised nine months after the Assembly elections results were announced, come amid Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleging " vote chori " (vote theft) across the country, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) 'colluding' with the Bharatiya Janata Party. You Might Also Like: Uddhav Thackeray slams EC over SIR, calls it 'undeclared NRC' The Congress leader has also specifically raised concerns over the alleged addition of lakhs of voters in Maharashtra just months before the state polls in 2024, alleging the votes helped the Mahayuti coalition come into power. At a press conference on August 7, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were "choreographed" by the EC to benefit the BJP, which he said appeared "immune to anti-incumbency." Citing internal analysis, Gandhi said the Congress expected to win 16 seats in Karnataka but ended up with only nine. He said the Congress investigated seven unexpected losses, zeroing in on Mahadevapura, where he alleged vote theft involving 1,00,250 votes. You Might Also Like: Resign from Lok Sabha if have no faith in EC: BJP to Rahul Gandhi Sign declaration or apologise: EC tells Rahul again
