Latest news with #HaryanaAssembly
The Diplomat
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Facing Charges of Pro-Government Bias, India's Election Commission Hinders Transparency
Over 100,250 fake voters were included in the electoral roll of one assembly segment, Mahadevapura. Such voter list fraud happened in other constituencies too, the opposition alleges. A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Nuh Mewat during the Haryana Assembly election on October 5, 2024. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is at the receiving end of a barrage of charges questioning its credibility as an independent institution. On August 8, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the leader of the opposition in the lower house of India's Parliament, alleged that the ECI was colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to 'steal seats and elections' in the country. Accusing the ECI of 'committing massive fraud' in the 2024 parliamentary elections, Gandhi said that over 100,250 'fake voters' were included in the electoral roll of one assembly segment, Mahadevapura, which falls under the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency. Gandhi said that while such voter list fraud was reported from many places, they zeroed in on one constituency — Mahadevapura — to investigate and present a case study before the nation. 'We will prove — India's prime minister has become prime minister by stealing [votes],' he said. The Congress party plans to 'expose' similar voter list 'frauds' in 48 parliamentary constituencies across the country in phases. Modi returned to power for a third term in 2024, albeit with a weaker mandate. Now, almost all of India's opposition parties have joined hands to accuse the ECI of pro-government bias. They are demanding a recall of the ECI's controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in the poll-bound state of Bihar — an exercise slated to be replicated in other states, should the ECI have its way. The SIR is currently under the Supreme Court's scrutiny, though the top court has not stayed the exercise. On the ground, protests are gaining ground. The poll panel's response to the barrage of allegations leveled against it is remarkable. Instead of facilitating scrutiny and answering charges, the ECI is focusing on hindering any examination of the electoral roll. It has used rather threatening language against opposition leaders and claimed that it is not legally obligated to furnish the information sought. Political activist Yogendra Yadav said that any credible election commission would investigate the charges, fix the list, and punish the guilty. 'Instead, it is threatening the Leader of the Opposition,' he wrote, adding, 'The nation deserves an answer. And history will remember this.' Yadav alleged that such voter list fraud happened in the western state of Maharashtra 'quietly,' whereas the case of Bihar is 'daylight robbery.' Unusual or suspicious changes in the electoral roll were reported from Maharashtra in the aftermath of the November 2024 assembly election, which a BJP-led alliance swept, surprising many poll pundits. Gandhi had demanded machine-readable digital voter rolls from the ECI at that time, too, but it was not entertained. In June this year, Gandhi pointed out that in five months between the general elections in May-June 2024 and the Maharashtra assembly elections in November, the number of voters increased in the state by 410,000, whereas the figure for such additions in the last five years stood at only 310,000 voters. After his recent detailed presentation on vote fraud in Mahadevapura, several media houses conducted independent enquiries on Gandhi's allegations and found the charges to be true. Newsportal India Today's ground check found 80 voters registered at a 10-15 sq ft house, whose current occupant denied any links to those listed in his address. In Bihar, regarding the SIR, independent news portal Reporters' Collective reported spotting over 5,000 'double and dubious voters' from the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh in the ECI's recently-released draft roll of an assembly constituency in Bihar. The Newslaundry portal showed how a single house in Bihar was listed as having over 230 electors. Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation, one of the key components of the opposition alliance in Bihar, highlighted, among other irregularities, how names of 180 voters in just one village had been removed from the list as 'dead.' Amid all these irregularities coming to the fore, the ECI's response to various allegations itself has triggered suspicion about its intentions. First, while the ECI said that their SIR exercise is not unprecedented and was done previously in 2003, orders and guidelines concerning the 2003 exercise have gone missing from the public domain, including the ECI website. The ECI told journalists that these documents could not be traced. Second, after 6.5 million names were removed from Bihar's draft electoral roll published on August 1, including 2.2 million as 'declared dead,' political parties asked for a list of persons whose names were removed upon declaring them dead. While the ECI said that no name will be deleted without notice to the individual, it refused to furnish a separate list of the 'dead.' The poll panel told the Supreme Court that the law 'does not require sharing details of persons not included in the draft electoral roll.' It added that the rules do not mandate it to furnish reasons for the non-inclusion of any individual in the draft roll. This resistance to disclosure makes it almost impossible for parties and people to verify whether the deletions are justified or if eligible voters have been disenfranchised. Third, after opposition political parties and journalists started reporting wrong inclusions and deletions, the ECI, instead of addressing the faults, decided to hinder their search for irregularities by replacing machine-readable original PDFs with non-machine-readable, scanned copies, examination of which will not only take a longer time but also require use of premium software services. Fourth, the ECI has decided to destroy CCTV footage and other visual records, including photographs and webcasts, in and outside polling stations 45 days after the election results, unless an election petition is filed within that period. Earlier, they used to be kept for at least three months. This has also come under heavy criticism, with democratic rights activists accusing it of being another step against transparency. The ECI's apparent lack of love for transparency is not surprising, though. The Modi government itself is known for blocking the flow of information using various means, including hastening the death of the RTI, a landmark legislation that was enacted by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in 2005. This law was a milestone toward transparency and accountability. Writing for The Hindu, transparency activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri pointed out that the deletion of 6.5 million names from the electoral roll in Bihar after the first phase of the SIR amounted to an average deletion of about 27,000 voters per constituency. In a state where most seats are won by a slender margin, this number exceeds the winning margin in two-thirds of seats in the 2020 assembly elections. 'This scale of deletions could potentially swing the electoral outcome in most assembly constituencies,' they said, adding that such a lack of transparency has real and potentially grave implications for electoral democracy. 'Such disenfranchisement not only undermines the legitimacy of elections but also weakens faith in institutions that are meant to safeguard the democratic process,' they opined. Krishangi Sinha and Sanjay Kumar of Lokniti-Center for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) highlighted that when Lokniti-CSDS conducted a post-poll survey of the National Election Study 2024, it revealed a 'concerning trend' of 12 percent of the respondents saying they 'don't much' trust the ECI, and 7 percent saying they do not trust the poll body 'at all.' 'At a time when public trust in institutions is under great strain, the ECI cannot afford to be so opaque and must take measures to ensure transparency,' they argued. When people's trust in institutions declines, it can trigger enormous unrest. India has to simply look east to Bangladesh for evidence. Irregularities in several successive elections triggered unrest that culminated in the toppling of the Awami League government there last year.
Indian Express
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rahul's ‘vote chori' allegation, collector rate hike, farmers' demands set to dominate upcoming Monsoon Session of Haryana Assembly
The accusations of voter manipulation in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, the ongoing standoff with Punjab over the Satluj Yamuna Link Canal (SYL), farmers' compensation demands, hike in collector rates across the state, and law and order are the key issues that are likely to dominate the upcoming Monsoon Session of the House. To blunt the Opposition's attack, the Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to hit back at the Congress on the issue of its failure to decide on its Legislature Party Leader. It has been almost 10 months since the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, and the Congress party has failed to announce its legislature party leader. If Congress does not announce its leader by August 22, it would be the third consecutive session of the Haryana Assembly to be held without any Leader of Opposition. The Congress continues to grapple with internal disarray as it heads into the session. Despite 37 MLAs in the 90-member House, Congress is without any official leader. In June, Rahul Gandhi met the senior leadership of the Haryana Congress at Chandigarh. Subsequently, party affairs in-charge B K Hariprasad announced that the party's ground-level organisational cadre – district presidents and block in-charge – would be announced within 15 days. The deadline kept shifting, but the party has not yet finalised its list of district presidents, nor the CLP leader. The BJP is all set to mock Congress on all these issues. The Congress, however, is formulating its strategy around various key issues on which it would try to corner the BJP. These include an ongoing standoff between Haryana and Punjab on the contentious SYL Canal and farmer-related issues. BKU leader Gurnam Singh Charuni recently sought immediate relief for farmers for major paddy crop loss due to the virus and waterlogging due to incessant rains across the region. Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has asked the state government to give Rs. 50,000 per acre as compensation for farmers who lost their crops. On the SYL Canal issue, Hooda criticised the government and said that 'it is all due to the inaction of the state government that the SYL canal issue is yet not resolved'. 'Instead of holding meetings with the Punjab Government, Haryana should move contempt of court proceedings against Punjab in the Supreme Court as the matter is already settled in favour of Haryana, but Punjab is not implementing the SC's decision,' Hooda had said. On the issue of SYL Canal, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said, 'Haryana will present its case in a positive and solution-oriented manner before the Supreme Court on August 13. We are confident that a fair and favourable resolution will be achieved'. The Opposition is also going to corner the ruling BJP on the issue of the hike in collector rates across the state, which varied from 50 to 250 per cent in several areas. However, the state government refuted the Opposition's accusations and said that around 70 per cent of the area only witnessed a 10 per cent collector rate hike. The issue of law and order is also likely to dominate the session's proceedings as the BJP and Congress came face to face last month when leaders from both parties hit out at each other on the issue of the crime rate in Haryana. Announcing the dates of the session, Saini had said it would commence on August 22, with its duration to be determined by the Assembly's Business Advisory Committee (BAC). 'Over the past 11 years, both the Centre and Haryana governments have focused on welfare schemes for the poor. The current BJP administration's goal is to empower the underprivileged. Our government has a zero-tolerance policy on crime. Police officers have been instructed to take prompt and on-the-spot action against criminal elements,' Saini said.
India Today
05-08-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Rape convict Ram Rahim gets another parole, 14th such relief in 8 years
Jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two of his disciples, has been granted a 40-day parole, sources said on Tuesday. This is the 14th such parole granted to the self-proclaimed godman in the past eight securing fresh parole just three months after his previous release, Ram Rahim walked out of Rohtak's Sunaria jail early Tuesday morning. The 57-year-old will be staying at his Sirsa-headquartered Dera until his expected return to the jail on September releases of Singh, who was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples and in 2019 for the murder of a journalist, have consistently drawn criticism from various quarters. He was last granted a 21-day furlough on April 9, and prior to that, received a 30-day parole in January this year, just ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls. Earlier, on October 1 last year, he was also granted a 20-day parole before the October 5 Haryana Assembly Sacha Sauda, led by Singh, commands a large following across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and several other states. In Haryana, the sect has a particularly strong presence in districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, and Rahim is currently serving a 20-year sentence for the rape of two female disciples, a conviction handed down by a special CBI court in August 2017. In January 2019, he was also convicted, along with three others, of the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, and sentenced to life he was acquitted in May 2024 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, Singh's convictions in the rape and journalist murder cases remain.- EndsMust Watch
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Who is Bittu Bajrangi? Controversial cow vigilante who remains banned from stepping into Haryana's Nuh
Banned from the Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra that took place in Haryana's Nuh on Monday, Raj Kumar, widely known as Bittu Bajrangi, is a self-styled cow vigilante and the leader of the Gau Raksha Bajrang Force. Emerging as a deeply divisive figure in Haryana, Bajrangi has been embroiled in numerous legal battles and controversies that have sparked widespread debate. While he gained notoriety for his alleged involvement in the 2023 Nuh communal violence, a high-profile incident that drew significant attention, Bajrangi's actions have consistently attracted scrutiny, resulting in multiple FIRs being lodged against him for several offences, including assault and hate speech. His participation in prominent events, such as the recent Haryana Assembly election campaign, has kept him in the public spotlight. Bajrangi's most significant controversy stems from the July 31, 2023, Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra in Nuh, where communal violence erupted, resulting in six deaths, including two home guards and a cleric in Gurugram. He was arrested on August 15, 2023, following a complaint by Assistant Superintendent of Police Usha Kundu, who alleged he and his supporters carried swords and tridents during the procession, defied police orders, and attempted to snatch weapons from officers. The FIR charged him with rioting, assault to deter a public servant, and violations under the Arms Act. A viral video purportedly showed Bajrangi fleeing from police in Faridabad's Dabua before his arrest. He was granted bail on August 30, 2023, after a court noted no evidence that the weapons were used to cause harm. The Nuh district administration and police have since refused him permission to attend subsequent yatras. Before the Nuh violence, Bajrangi faced allegations of hate speech. On July 4, 2023, an FIR was registered at Dabua police station after he posted a video on social media allegedly inciting religious frenzy. Similar FIRs were filed at Dhauj and Mujesar police stations in Faridabad for provocative content targeting a specific community. Another FIR on August 1, 2023, cited a video where Bajrangi, dressed in saffron, was accompanied by a song with threatening lyrics, further fuelling accusations of communal provocation. He was briefly arrested but released on bail. In April 2024, Bajrangi was implicated in a violent incident in Faridabad's Parvatiya Colony. A video surfaced purportedly showing him assaulting a man, Shyam, in the presence of a police officer deployed for his security. Shyam alleged that a mob attacked him, suspecting he was Muslim, and handed him over to Bajrangi, who beat him, causing injuries to his head, hand, and body. An FIR was filed under IPC sections for causing hurt, wrongful restraint, and criminal intimidation. Bajrangi was arrested on April 7, 2024, and the policeman, SP Pramod Kumar, was dismissed for failing to intervene. The Faridabad police also issued a notice to cancel Bajrangi's firearm licence, citing misuse. Bajrangi's legal troubles continued with a death threat case. In July 2024, a minor from Rajasthan was apprehended for threatening Bajrangi with death unless he paid Rs 1 lakh, a case linked to the 2023 Nuh violence aftermath. In June 2025, he filed a complaint alleging threats via a viral Instagram video, leading to an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The death of Bajrangi's brother, Mahesh Panchal, in January 2024, added another layer of controversy. Panchal alleged he was set on fire in Faridabad in December 2023, but a forensic report found no traces of flammable liquids, contradicting his claims. No arrests were made, and Bajrangi's assertion of communal targeting was dismissed by police. Politically, Bajrangi contested the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections as an Independent candidate from Faridabad's NIT seat. Despite his criminal record, he campaigned for the BJP at a rally attended by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, raising eyebrows. A Congress leader claimed Bajrangi's popularity was limited, predicting minimal electoral impact. Ahead of the 2025 Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, Bajrangi sought court permission to participate, despite being banned due to his 2023 involvement. He did not secure an urgent hearing. However, a Faridabad police spokesperson said that they had asked him to remain at home on Monday (the day of the yatra), which he complied with. In April, Bajrangi came out in strong support against a Palwal inspector who was suspended and arrested in connection with the brutal torture of a Muslim. The Palwal superintendent of police was transferred soon after.
India Gazette
13-06-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini attends the Yoga protocol training program in Panchkula
Panchkula (Haryana) [India] June 13 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini attended the International Day of Yoga protocol training program in Panchkula on Friday, emphasising the importance of yoga in maintaining physical and mental health. CM also expressed confidence that the yoga program will significantly benefit the soldiers by maintaining their mental and physical health. In his speech, Saini highlighted the benefits of daily yoga practice, saying, 'If we practice Yoga daily, it will help us avoid diseases. Yoga not only gives us good health but also inculcates discipline. I am confident that this yoga program will help maintain our soldiers' mental and physical health..' The Chief Minister mentioned that on June 21, the International Day of Yoga, over 11 lakh people across 22 state districts will participate in the yoga program. The event is scheduled at Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra, where Baba Ramdev will lead a yoga program with around 1 lakh participants. 'On 21st June - The International Day of Yoga, more than 11 lakh people in 22 state districts will participate in the yoga program. A yoga program led by Baba Ramdev with the participation of around 1 lakh people will be held at Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra.', the CM said in his speech. Haryana CM Saini participated in Yoga Utsav at the Haryana Assembly in Chandigarh on Tuesday ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21. He was joined by Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma, Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, Krishan Lal Middha and others. Earlier on Monday, the Haryana Chief Minister said that with cleanliness and yoga, the country will quickly realise the 'Viksit Bharat' dream. Preparations for International Yoga Day 2025 have begun with the launch of a cleanliness campaign on May 27, and daily yoga classes are underway for the grand event on June 21. He said the theme of International Yoga Day this year is 'One Earth, One Health', and the Haryana Government has also added the slogan 'Yoga Yukt, Nasha Mukt'. This year's International Yoga Day is set to be a grand celebration, with Visakhapatnam hosting a record-breaking yoga event. On June 21, Prime Minister Modi will participate in the celebrations, featuring over 2.5 lakh people performing yoga together at a single location -- an attempt to set a new world record. The grand event will take place along the 27-kilometre-long coastal road of Visakhapatnam, serving as the venue for this massive yoga session. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is also expected to join PM Modi for the yoga performance. (ANI)
