
Lok Sabha stays in pause mode, now over roll revision protest
over the
Special Incentive Revision
(SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls disrupted the
Lok Sabha
for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, resulting in three forced adjournments. In the din of Opposition sloganeering, sports minister Mansukh Madaviya introduced the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, which, among other things, proposes an umbrella rule for various sports governing bodies, and the Anti-doping (Amendment) Bill, providing greater operational independence to the anti-doping agency.
As soon as the House commenced, the INDIA bloc MPs started protesting against SIR, indulged in sloganeering and trooped to the well of the House. As many MPs were holding placards and some SP members were waving black shawls, Speaker Om Birla warned of action for such conduct before he adjourned the House till noon. Similar protests forced two more adjournments, after noon and at 2 pm.
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Outside Parliament, INDIA bloc MPs held a joint dharna, demanding that the
Election Commission
withdraw the SIR drive.
Speaking to media persons, leader of Opposition,
Rahul Gandhi
, said the SIR was a new ploy by the ECI to delete voters from the list and he once again alleged the election was being stolen in India.
"They (EC) have done cheating in Maharashtra (assembly elections). We asked the ECI to show the voters' list, but they refused. We asked them to show videography, but they changed the rules of videography. Around 1 crore new voters were added in Maharashtra. In Karnataka, we have caught a huge theft. I will show it to the Election Commission in black and white how the theft is done. They have understood that we are aware of their game now. Now, what they are doing is they have deleted the voters, and a new voters' list will be brought. Elections are being stolen in India," he said.
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Scroll.in
2 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Bihar voter roll revision: 91.6% electors submitted forms, 65 lakh names may be removed, says EC
The Election Commission on Sunday said that 91.6% electors in Bihar had submitted their enumeration forms for the special intensive revision of the state's electoral rolls by the end of the first phase of the exercise on Friday. The poll panel said that more than 7.2 crore out of the state's 7.8 crore electors had submitted the forms by the deadline, indicating 'overwhelming participation'. This would mean that the remaining 65 lakh names registered in the July 2025 list may not make it to the draft rolls to be published on August 1. The Election Commission added that 2.8% electors (22 lakh) had died, 4.5% (26 lakh) had permanently shifted and 0.8% persons (7 lakh) were found to be enrolled at more than one place. The exact status of the 65 lakh electors would be known after forms are scrutinised by the electoral registration officers or assistant electoral registration officers by August 1, the statement said. 'However, genuine electors can still be added back in electoral rolls during the Claims and Objection period from 1st August to 1st September 2025,' the poll panel added. It said that the electors found enrolled at multiple places would be retained only at one place. The poll panel said in a statement that efforts were also made to ensure that no migrant worker was left behind. This included advertisements in Hindi published in 246 newspapers and requesting all states and Union Territories to make efforts to reach out to the migrants from Bihar. About 16 lakh migrant workers had filled the enumeration forms online while about 13 lakh had downloaded the forms, it added. The revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar was announced by the Election Commission on June 24. As part of the exercise, persons whose names were not on the 2003 voter list will need to submit proof of eligibility to vote. Voters born before July 1, 1987, must show proof of their date and place of birth, while those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must also submit documents establishing the date and place of birth of one of their parents. Those born after December 2, 2004, will need proof of date of birth for themselves and both parents. If the officers are satisfied with the details provided, the voters will be re-enrolled to a new voter list by the electoral registration officers. If not, they will be removed from the voter lists. A draft roll will be published on August 1 and the final roll will be out on September 30. Bihar is expected to head for Assembly polls in October or November. On July 2, eleven INDIA bloc parties told the Election Commission that the special intensive revision of Bihar's electoral rolls risked disenfranchising several voters, as they may not be able to produce the necessary documents. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on July 6 defended the exercise, claiming that the exercise had to be carried out as no one was satisfied with the current voter rolls. On July 10, the Supreme Court urged the Election Commission to consider Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards and ration cards as valid documents for the revision of electoral rolls. However, on July 21, the Election Commission told the court that Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards and ration cards cannot be included as standalone valid documents for the exercise. In a counter-affidavit filed in the court, the poll panel also stated that a person's citizenship will 'not terminate' on being found ineligible for registration in the electoral rolls. The court will hear the matter next on Monday. 'Why a big fuss' On Sunday, the Election Commission reiterated that the draft electoral roll to be published on August 1 was not the final voter list, adding that a month's time would be given to include eligible electors and exclude those ineligible, PTI reported. The poll panel said that it was 'not able to understand' why a 'big fuss' was being created when a month-long period will be available to point out wrongful inclusions and exclusions to the list. Political parties were free to check with their workers on the progress of the process, it said. 'Why not ask their 1.6 lakh booth-level agents to submit claims and objections from August 1 till September 1?' the news agency quoted the commission as saying. Booth-level agents appointed by political parties work with Election Commission officers in preparing or updating the voter list. 'Why are some persons trying to give an impression that the draft list is the final list, which it is not, as per special Intensive revision orders,' the poll panel added.


Hans India
2 minutes ago
- Hans India
Row over SIR doesn't bode well for Indian democracy
What should have been a routine voter list update by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has become a nationwide controversy, triggering political protests, a challenge in the Supreme Court, and growing concerns about mass voter disenfranchisement. The controversy stems from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, where preliminary data suggests that up to 6.5 million voters—about nine per cent of the state's 78.9 million-strong electorate—could be excluded from the draft rolls. The reasons cited include death, duplication, permanent migration, and failure to submit necessary forms. The first phase of the SIR concluded on July 27, while the draft electoral roll is to be published on August 1, followed by a month-long window for filing claims and objections till September 1. The final roll is scheduled for release on September 30, ahead of Bihar's assembly elections later this year. As per the latest bulletin, the likely exclusions comprise 2.2 million deceased voters, seven lakh people registered in several locations, and 3.5 million individuals, who have migrated for good or could not be located during the door-to-door verification. Around 1.20 lakh forms remained incomplete. If all these are excluded, it would mark the largest voter list purge in a single state in recent memory. The Election Commission (ECI) has defended the exercise in the Supreme Court stating that it was essential for maintaining fairness and integrity of elections. Officials cited technical reasons for the delay in releasing final data, with a complete update expected by Monday. The SIR was carried out by an extensive network: over 98,000 booth level officers, nearly 150,000 agents from political parties, and 400,000 volunteers participated in the month-long verification drive. However, serious concerns have been raised over the documentation requirements. Voters must provide one of 11 accepted documents to prove eligibility. Ironically, they don't include Aadhaar, ration cards, or even voter IDs — all widely used government-issued documents. A booth-level officer from Araria district admitted to the media that they were uploading 'whatever documents they could get,' but it was unclear whether these would be accepted. Different age groups face varying documentation burdens: those born before 1987 can submit individual ID proof; those born between 1987 and 2004 must provide personal ID and proof from a parent, while those born after 2004 need to furnish documents of both parents apart from their own. In its July 21 affidavit to the apex court, the ECI maintained that Aadhaar, ration cards, and voter IDs do not qualify as citizenship proof, despite the court earlier advising the Commission to consider accepting these documents. This has set the stage for a legal showdown when the court hears the matter on July 28. On July 20, theECI shared lists of voters marked as deceased, migrated, or untraceable with 12 political parties for verification, but several discrepancies reportedly remain. The final electoral roll is expected to become a key battleground in the run-up to Bihar's elections. Critics argue that the tight timeline may not allow enough time to resolve disputes, potentially resulting in legitimate voters being disenfranchised. The Bihar revision is just the first phase of a larger nationwide effort, with similar exercises planned elsewhere. At the heart of the debate lies the perception of a deeply polarised political landscape and a growing mistrust in the ECI's impartiality—an ominous sign for Indian democracy.


Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Epstein furor undermines public trust, Republican election hopes, two US lawmakers say
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