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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Crossed all limits of shamelessness': Congress questions EC over refusal to share machine-readable rolls; poll body says parties failed to flag errors on time
NEW DELHI: Congress party on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission , accusing it of having "crossed all limits of shamelessness" and failing in its constitutional duty. The party demanded that the poll body explain why it continues to deny political parties access to machine-readable electoral rolls and CCTV footage. 'The ECI has crossed all limits of shamelessness by shrugging all its responsibilities in the face of grave allegations of vote theft and mass rigging. Constitutional authorities are expected to be the epitome of probity - not hide behind vaguely drafted press notes to hide their guilt in destroying democracy,' Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said in a post on X. — kcvenugopalmp (@kcvenugopalmp) Venugopal said that the burden of identifying large-scale discrepancies in voter data cannot be placed solely on political parties and their booth-level agents. He questioned the commission's claims of 'utmost transparency' in electoral roll preparation and listed several concerns, including denial of machine-readable rolls, deletion of CCTV footage within 45 days, the EC's submission before the Supreme Court regarding the deletion of 65 lakh names in Bihar, and its refusal to meet opposition MPs. Sharing the EC's recent press note, he said, 'The tone and tenor of this press note raises greater suspicions that the ECI will take no steps to address the public's grave concerns about mass scale vote rigging done by the BJP-controlled ECI.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Costco Shoppers Say This Fat-Burning Patch Triggers Weight Loss "Unlike Any Other" Health Advice Today Undo Responding to opposition allegations, the election commission said the appropriate time for political parties to flag errors is during the claims and objections period after draft electoral rolls are published. 'It seems that some political parties and their booth level agents (BLAs) did not examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any,' the EC said in its statement. The commission also noted that certain parties and individuals have recently raised questions about errors in both current and past electoral rolls.
The Print
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Cong attacks EC, says it crossed all limits of ‘shamelessness'
'The ECI has crossed all limits of shamelessness by shrugging all its responsibilities in the face of grave allegations of vote theft and mass rigging. Constitutional authorities are expected to be the epitome of probity – not hide behind vaguely drafted press notes to hide their guilt in destroying democracy,' Venugopal said in a post on X. Congress general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal said if the Election Commission welcomed the scrutiny of electoral rolls, the chief election commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners must come clean on why they still refuse to provide parties with machine-readable electoral rolls and CCTV footage. New Delhi, Aug 16 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday hit back at the Election Commission, accusing it of having 'crossed all limits of shamelessness', and said it is expected to the epitome of probity. Seeking to counter opposition parties' allegations of fudging in voter data, the Election Commission has said it seems that some political parties did not examine the electoral rolls at the 'appropriate time' to point out errors to the poll machinery and noted that it welcomes a scrutiny of the document to help its officials remove flaws. Venugopal said the onus on catching the scale and volume of their vote theft cannot be on political parties and its BLAs. He said the ECI claims 'utmost transparency is the hallmark of electoral roll preparation'. 'We wish to ask ECI if any of these decisions are part of their agenda of promoting 'utmost transparency': Denying machine-readable rolls to parties; and taking down already uploaded machine-readable versions of the draft SIR rolls. Deleting CCTV footage within 45 days. Submitting before the Supreme Court that it is not bound to disclose the reason behind deleting 65 lakh names in the Bihar SIR process and refusing to meet opposition MPs marching to meet the ECI,' Venugopal said. Sharing the EC's press note, the Congress leader said the tone and tenor of the EC's note raises greater suspicions that the ECI will take no steps to address the public's grave concerns about the alleged 'mass scale vote-rigging done by the BJP-controlled ECI'. 'If the ECI 'welcomes the scrutiny of electoral rolls', the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECs must come clean on why they still refuse to provide parties with machine-readable electoral rolls and why CCTV footage is being deleted,' he said. In a statement, the EC said the period for raising claims and objections after the draft voters' list is published is the appropriate time for parties to flag flaws. 'It seems that some political parties and their booth level agents (BLAs) did not examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any…,' it said. The EC noted that recently, some political parties and individuals raised issues about errors in the electoral rolls, including the electoral rolls prepared in the past. PTI SKC MNK MNK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
New Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Some parties ignored voter roll checks in time: ECI defends deletions; Congress raises concern
NEW DELHI: Days after the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish a list of 65 lakh deleted voter names in Bihar along with the reasons, the poll body, in a statement on Saturday, said that utmost transparency is the hallmark of electoral roll preparation, as per law, rules, and guidelines. The statement comes a day ahead of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's fortnight-long Vote Adhikar Yatra, scheduled to begin on Sunday in Bihar. In a veiled reference to the allegations of the Congress on irregularities in voters' lists, the ECI said it seemed to the panel that some political parties and their booth-level agents (BLAs) did not examine the electoral rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any, to Sub-Divisional Magistrates/ Electoral Registration Officers, District Election Officers or Chief Election Officers. It further said that it continues to welcome the scrutiny of electoral rolls by political parties and any elector. Responding to the ECI, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the ECI has crossed all limits of shamelessness by shrugging all its responsibilities in the face of grave allegations of vote theft and mass rigging. Constitutional authorities are expected to be the epitome of probity - not hide behind vaguely drafted press notes to mask their guilt in destroying democracy, he said in a statement. The tone and tenor of the press note raise greater suspicions that the ECI will take no steps to address the public's grave concerns about mass-scale vote rigging allegedly done by the BJP-controlled poll body, he said. 'If the ECI 'welcomes the scrutiny of electoral rolls', the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECs must come clean on why they still refuse to provide parties with machine-readable electoral rolls and why CCTV footage is being deleted,' Venugopal added. The ECI, in its statement, reiterated that pure electoral rolls strengthen democracy, and political parties are involved at each stage of their preparation. 'Appropriate time and opportunity are given to electors and political parties to rectify errors, if any. The election system for Parliament and Assembly elections in India is a multi-layered decentralised construct as envisaged by law,' it said.
Hindustan Times
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar come together for family function in Mumbai
Two years since the split of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the rival Pawar factions came together for the engagement ceremony of Sharad Pawar's grandnephew Yugendra Pawar with Tanishka Kulkarni. Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, and her relatives also attended the ceremony(X) NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar attended the traditional ceremony held in Mumbai on Sunday. The private ceremony, conducted at the Mumbai home of Yugendra Pawar's bride-to-be, Tanishka Kulkarni, turned into a setting of family warmth and festivities, and united members of the formerly split Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under one roof. Images and videos from the event show smiles, blessings, and familial bonds. Yugendra is the son of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's younger brother Shrinivas Pawar. In spite of having a tough electoral background, Yugendra lost from his own uncle Ajit Pawar in the 2024 Assembly polls from Baramati. Present there too were Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, and her relatives. This comes just a few months after the Pawars attended the engagement ceremony of Ajit Pawar's younger son, Jay Pawar, in Pune. NCP 2023 split In 2023, Ajit Pawar's breakaway from the NCP and joining the BJP-controlled Maharashtra government caused waves in the state's political scene. The move led to a formal party split and saw family members contesting elections against each other. Supriya Sule, who contested against her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar in the Lok Sabha polls, added fuel to the narrative of a divided family. Political attacks continue Meanwhile, on the political front, Supriya Sule slammed the BJP-led Mahayuti government, which her cousin is also a part of, for failing to address the rising crime rate in Maharashtra. She accused it of being a mute spectator as miscreants had no fear of the law. Addressing media persons, the MP from Baramati alleged that a ₹4,900 crore scam was executed in the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yogana, the Centre's pet scheme, where women receive monthly support of ₹1,500. She also raised a red flag on irregularities in the Election Commission's management of voter lists in Bihar, calling for a detailed debate in the Parliament on electoral accountability and transparency.
Scroll.in
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Opposition questions EC's ‘hurry' to begin nationwide voter rolls revision
Opposition leaders have criticised the Election Commission after reports said it has decided to direct chief electoral officers of all states to begin preparing for a special intensive revision of electoral rolls on the lines of the exercise being conducted in Bihar. The commission had written to all state polling chiefs on July 5, directing them to complete ' pre-revision activities ', The Indian Express reported on Sunday. The activities include rationalisation of polling stations, filling vacant positions of key officials and supervisors who will carry out the enumeration, and conducting training, the newspaper reported. The Opposition said on Sunday that the poll panel should wait for the Supreme Court to decide on the challenges to the voter roll revision taking place in Bihar before replicating the exercise in other states. On Thursday, 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. The court will hear the case further on July 28. Commenting on the commission's decision to prepare for a nationwide voter roll revision, Congress leader KC Venugopal said that the Bharatiya Janata Party had 'mastered the art of taking a bad idea and making it worse '. 'As if the chaos and opposition to the Bihar SIR was not enough, the BJP-controlled ECI now wants to subject the entire country through this trauma,' Venugopal said on social media. 'Every Indian citizen will be looked at with suspicion, their voting rights will be under threat, and the whole electoral system will be rigged.' The Election Commission must shelve proposals seeking a nationwide voter roll revision immediately, said the Congress leader. Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi told The Indian Express that the commission's decision was 'effectually meaningless because everything will depend on the outcome of the pending case' in the Supreme Court. In the case before the Supreme Court, Singhvi is representing the petitioners who have challenged the voter roll revision in Bihar. 'Not only on [July] 28, but on a few dates thereafter,' the Congress leader was quoted as saying. 'Depending on that outcome alone, everything else will proceed or not proceed. Merely giving jingoistic statements is meaningless...' Trinamool Congress leader Sagarika Ghose said the poll panel must answer 'if it is preparing a citizen's register' in the name of electoral roll revision, the newspaper reported. '…This is an NRC [National Register of Citizens] from the backdoor,' Ghose was quoted as saying. '…This is a malafide exercise targeting the poorest and most vulnerable,' the Rajya Sabha MP was quoted as saying. Communist Party of India leader D Raja was quoted as saying that the Election Commission must explain why it is in a 'hurry' to carry out a nationwide exercise while the Supreme Court is hearing the matter. 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. Revision of voter rolls 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. This means that 2.9 crore out of the state's 7.8 crore voters – or about 37% of the electors – will have to submit documentary evidence. 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 electoral registration officers. If not, they will be removed from the voter lists. About 80.1% electors in Bihar had submitted their enumeration forms as part of the exercise, the Election Commission said on Saturday. 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 revision of Bihar's electoral rolls risked disenfranchising more than 2.5 crore voters, as they may not be able to produce the necessary documents.
