
Cong looks to bolster grassroots outreach, launches ‘selfie with booth prez' campaign
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Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) initiated a programme where state and district-level leaders met booth presidents and workers on Friday to take selfies. These photographs were shared across social media platforms as a direct communication strategy.
During a press interaction, APCC president and MP Gaurav Gogoi, commemorating his first month in office, highlighted the positive response from grassroots workers. He said this development caused visible anxiety among BJP leaders, particularly CM Sarma.
Gogoi highlighted the Congress's success in raising public awareness against the BJP-led govt's actions in Assam. He said Congress revitalised its ground-level workers' spirits and collectively opposed the present govt's alleged corruption.
He emphasised that bolstering the grassroots organisational structure was crucial in the past 30 days, receiving active support from party workers. The Congress aims to establish a strong presence across all 126 assembly constituencies.
"No candidate can win — or make others win — without a strong organisational structure," he stated. Regarding electoral matters, he confirmed the party's commitment to ensuring accurate voter lists and conducting fair elections.
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"Whether it's about a town, village, or district, Congress workers will raise the local issues of the public everywhere. We prepared a strategy for the expansion of the party organisation," Gogoi said.
Responding to BJP's criticism about the Emergency, Gaurav said people expressed their verdict by re-electing Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister after the Emergency.
"The day Indira Gandhi became PM again after the Emergency, the people of India gave their opinion on her long back. But what's about the 'Emergency' created by BJP today? People cannot ask questions, they cannot even write Facebook posts (questioning BJP) or RTI applications," Gaurav alleged.

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Indian Express
28 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Congress: Election Commission move to revise rolls an admission that all not well
The Congress on Thursday said the Election Commission's announcement of a special intensive revision (SIR) of the voting lists in poll-bound Bihar is a 'clear and explicit admission… that all is not well with India's electoral rolls'. Other Opposition parties, too, objected to the move, arguing that the month-long exercise will disenfranchise lakhs of vulnerable voters ahead of elections this year. The EC had said Tuesday that all existing electors in Bihar who were not on the rolls in 2003 would have to again provide documentation proving their eligibility. This was to be the beginning of a nationwide exercise. A Congress committee tasked with looking into elections said in a statement Thursday: 'In simple terms, the EC wants to discard the current electoral rolls entirely and create a fresh new electoral roll for the state… 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 eight-member EAGLE committee said: '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.' At a meeting of political parties with Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer Wednesday in Patna, representatives from the INDIA bloc — including the RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation and CPI(M) — unanimously rejected the SIR, calling it a ploy to exclude poor, rural and minority electors. RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha told The Indian Express that the party would go to the EC. 'This is a massive exercise, and with the Bihar election notification expected in just two-and-a-half months, the timing is questionable. This process could have started much earlier. We feel very strongly that this entire exercise, is it a kind of cover? Cover to make sure that people from subaltern classes and minorities, backward and Dalits, are you going to invisibilise them?' he said. Opposition parties flagged concerns on the commission's stringent documentation requirements. The new rules set different proof thresholds by birth cohort. Voters born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, are required to provide proof of either parent's Indian citizenship, while those born after December 2, 2004, need documentation for both parents. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the EC was 'acting like a stooge of the BJP' and asked whether the move was a backdoor attempt to implement the NRC. 'I don't understand the reason behind the EC move or the rationale behind selecting these dates. This is nothing short of a scam. I seek clarification from the Commission on whether they are trying to implement the NRC through backdoors. In fact, this looks to be more dangerous than the NRC which every political party in opposition must resist,' she told reporters. The Congress statement said the EC rules on birth certificates are 'arbitrary, whimsical and onerous on the estimated 8.1 crore eligible voters in Bihar in 2025'. CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, too, drew parallels with Assam's NRC exercise and argued in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner that completing the verification of '78 million voters' in one month was 'logically absurd and a logistical nightmare'.


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Former CJI seeks level-playing field in simultaneous poll plan
NEW DELHI: Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud has raised some concerns about simultaneous state and parliamentary elections in his submissions to a joint parliamentary committee and called for a level-playing field between smaller and national parties, people aware of the matter said on Thursday. The proposal to align elections – known colloquially as one nation, one election (ONOE) – was a part of the BJP's 2024 poll manifesto. (PTI) Ex-CJI Chandrachud and another former CJI, JS Khehar, are set to attend on July 11 a meeting of the JPC examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, which are intended to roll out simultaneous polls in the country, the people cited above said. The 39-member JPC — headed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader PP Chaudhary — was set up in December 2024. Although there is no time frame for the submission of the report, the term of the JPC has been extended till the first day of last week of the upcoming Monsoon Session. The proposal to align elections – known colloquially as one nation, one election (ONOE) – was a part of the BJP's 2024 poll manifesto and is backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who argues that it will trim election costs and shift focus to governance. But the proposal is fiercely opposed by a raft of political parties and activists who allege that it will hurt democratic accountability and federalism. The bills propose the alignment process to begin in 2029 and the first simultaneous elections in 2034. 'Justice Chandrachud has also given his opinion about the proposed ONOE. In his submission to JPC in April, he has pointed out that concerns about simultaneous elections possibly marginalising smaller or regional parties because of the dominance of better resourced national parties is a significant policy aspect which warrants legislative attention,' said the person quoted above. A clutch of regional parties such as the Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD) have alleged that the proposed legislation can dent federalism. 'The former CJI has noted that to ensure a level playing field among political parties, the rules governing electoral campaigning, particularly those relating to campaign finance, must be strengthened. Referring to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 that impose ceilings on the amount a candidate can spend for campaign, there are no corresponding limits on the expenditure incurred by political parties themselves he said. This gap in regulation weighs the electoral process towards parties with greater financial resources he said,' the person quoted above said. On the fear that simultaneous elections may infringe upon the right of voters to choose their elected representatives, the former CJI pointed out that even in instances where the duration of either the Lok Sabha or the assembly expires before the full term, the legislation provide for conducting mid-term elections, ensuring that the Indian electorate remains continuously represented by their duly elected representatives. 'He is of the view that the proposal would be violative of the basic structure doctrine only if the facet of non-simultaneous elections to every tier of the government is a basic feature of the Constitution,' the person quoted above said. Chandrachud is also learnt to have weighed in on the provisions for no-confidence motion. 'He has pointed out that the cardinal principle of parliamentary democracy is that the council of ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, must always have the support of the House. This principle will be diluted if there is a time bar on introducing the no-confidence motion. Similarly, one of the common features of a multi-party democracy such as India is the inability of any party or coalition of parties to secure the majority in the House. If the issuance of a notice of no-confidence is contingent on the motion of confidence, there is a real possibility of the minority government continuing in power. This is contrary to democratic tenets,' said the person quoted above. The bill now being examined by JPC suggests adding Article 82(A) (simultaneous elections to the House of the People and all legislative assemblies) and amending Articles 83 (duration of Houses of Parliament), 172, and 327 (power of Parliament to make provisions with respect to elections to Legislatures). It also states that the provisions of the amendment will come into effect on an 'appointed date,' which the President will notify on the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election. As per the bill, the 'appointed date' will be after the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029, with simultaneous elections slated to begin in 2034. According to a person aware of the details, the meeting on July 11 will see JPC also interact with former Union minister and Congress leader M Veerappa Moily and former Congress lawmaker EMS Natchippan. From the first elections in Independent India in 1952 until 1967, polls were held simultaneously across the country. But since the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be dissolved before their tenures end, the state and national elections came to be held at different times after that. Several committees, including a parliamentary panel, the Niti Aayog and the Election Commission of India, have studied simultaneous polls in the past, backing the idea but flagging logistical concerns.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
EC officials review electoral roll plan
1 2 Patna: A nine-member team from the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by senior deputy election commissioner Maneesh Garg, on Thursday held a detailed meeting with Bihar chief electoral officer, Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, and other senior officials in Patna to review preparations for the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. Addressing the meeting, Garg stressed the need for a special intensive revision in Bihar, given that assembly elections are scheduled to take place later this year. Deputy election commissioner Sanjay Kumar briefed officials on key guidelines through a presentation and discussions focused on the effective and timely implementation of the revision process. The ECI team included deputy election commissioners Bhanu Prakash Yeturu and Sanjay Kumar, advisor N N Butolia, principal Secretary Arvind Anand, Directors Bidyarani Konthoujam and Manoj C, deputy secretary Abhinav Agrawal and secretary Pawan Diwan. The team also interacted with district election officers, divisional commissioners, and other administrative officials during the visit. Officials said Bihar was the first state to begin the SIR exercise in the run-up to state polls with similar drives planned in other states. As part of the preparations for the 2025 elections, polling stations will also be reorganised to adhere to the standard of one booth per 1,200 voters. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The reorganisation aims to ensure that families are registered at the same polling station and that no voter has to travel more than 2km to cast their ballot. The move is intended to streamline the electoral process and make polling more accessible to voters across the state. Meanwhile, opposition parties have raised concerns about the timing and scale of the exercise. Leader of opposition in state assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, alleged, "There is a big conspiracy to remove from voters' list the names of the poor who were getting free ration." RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav accused the EC of attempting to "tamper with" the rolls while Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan questioned the practicality of completing the revision within a month. CPI-ML's Dipankar Bhattacharya, in a letter to the ECI, requested the postponement of what he called an "impractical" campaign so close to elections.