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Indian Express
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Vote chori' row: ‘lame duck excuses, puerile legalese', Congress hits back as Haryana CEO demands oath from Rahul Gandhi
Hours after the Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) wrote to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Sunday regarding his allegations of the 'inclusion of ineligible voters' in the state—and requested a formal declaration under oath—Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala hit back at the Election Commission of India, saying 'these notices will not dilute the unpardonable sin it is committing'. A Sreenivas, CEO, Haryana, sent the letter to Rahul Gandhi Sunday while referring to the allegations levelled by him in a press conference held on August 7. In his latest letter, the CEO said, 'It is requested that the signed declaration/oath may be returned to this office within ten (10) days, so that necessary proceedings may be initiated in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960.' Tagging the CEO's letter on social media platform X, Surjewala said: 'When confronted with evidence of mass manipulation of voter rolls, the Election Commission seeks to hide the 'Voter Fraud' with its lame duck excuses, puerile legalese and fake technicalities. No wonder that it is now named as 'Election Capture of India' – ECI.' Surjewala alleged: 'The malicious stonewalling and obfuscation of Election Commission to address the issue of 'vote theft' and hide behind excuses establishes its 'fear of truth'. Not once has the ECI and BJP said that Rahul ji's assertion of vote theft is wrong.' Stating that EC 'is not a passive clerk of electoral paperwork', Surjewala said: 'It is a constitutional guardian of the level playing field and free and fair polls, the lifeblood of democracy.' 'To evade scrutiny in favour of procedural smokescreens is not neutrality. It is an abdication of duty that corrodes the very democracy it is meant to protect. It is nothing short of a crime against democracy and the Constitution and these notices will not dilute the unpardonable sin it is committing,' he added. The Haryana Assembly elections were held in October 2024, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 48 seats while the Congress won 31 seats for the 90-member Vidhan Sabha.
Indian Express
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Haryana CEO writes to Rahul Gandhi again on his 'ineligible voters' allegation
Responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent allegations of 'inclusion of ineligible voters' in the state, the Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) wrote to him again on Sunday, asking him to submit a formal declaration under oath. The officer had sent a similar letter to the Congress leader on Saturday too. The Chief Electoral Officer A Sreenivas, a Haryana cadre IAS of 2004 batch, sent a reminder to the Congress leader on Sunday while referring to the allegations levelled by him in a press conference held on August 7 this year. In his latest letter, the CEO said: 'This is to draw your kind attention to this office communication dated 09-08- 2025, referring to the statements made by you during the Press Conference held on 07-08- 2025 pertaining to alleged inclusion of ineligible voters and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls of Haryana.' The CEO also said: 'It is requested that the signed declaration/oath may be returned to this office within ten (10) days, so that necessary proceedings may be initiated in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960.' The Assembly polls in Haryana were held in October 2024 in which the BJP had won 48 seats while the Congress won 31 seats for the 90-member-Vidhan Sabha.
New Indian Express
10-08-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Congress dismisses EC's demand for sworn affidavit and documents
BENGALURU: The Congress is in no mood to oblige the Chief Electoral officer, Karnataka, who had asked the party to file documents and an affidavit on oath regarding Rahul Gandhi's allegation of 'electoral roll theft' in Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency. Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar said, 'Legal experts say it is irrelevant to ask a complainant to submit a complaint on oath in these circumstances. Those rules do not apply to these submissions that we have made. What they are pointing out does not apply to these memorandums that we have submitted.' The CEO in his response to Shivakumar said, 'With respect to your representation submitted on Aug 8 you have not submitted any documents in support of references made in this representation. You are requested to submit the documents along with the declaration/oath as per rule 20(3) of the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960.' Meanwhile, Minister Priyank Kharge said, 'This is nothing but intimidation. We have made a complaint and they are duty bound to act on it.' Congress candidate from Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency Mansoor Khan said, 'Despite the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, making this public, the Election Commission of India has refused to act. Instead of addressing the issue, it tells us to submit signed affidavits, as if the burden lies on us to safeguard the system.
Mint
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Why Election Commission's Bihar SIR exercise has received widespread criticism
On the face of it, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar ordered by the Election Commission (EC), should not be considered unexceptionable. Article 324 of the Constitution empowers the EC to oversee elections. Article 326 directs that the franchise be limited to all adult Indian citizens. The updating of electoral rolls is supported by the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960 and the Representation of Peoples' Act, 1950. The last SIR in Bihar was undertaken in 2003 and there have been annual summary revisions in many states since then. So, why has the electoral roll revision in Bihar, going to the polls in a few months' time, stoked such widespread discontent? Critics see in it a fiendish move, an audacious attempt at mass disenfranchisement of Indian citizens. Wrote social activist Yogendra Yadav in a column: ``In effect this is, as critics have alleged, a move at votebandi, following notebandi (demonetisation) and deshbandi (lockdown). Dumb at best and diabolic at worst, this draconian policy shift could end up taking away the only right that crores of ordinary Indians have had — the right to vote.'' The outrage may well lie in the explanation the EC has offered for the revision. These include migration, need to weed out foreign illegal immigrants, to include newly eligible voters and delete the names of the dead. The EC's order is clear: Every voter will have to fill out the enumeration form with a current photograph, signatures, some basic details, plus proof of citizenship. Those who had their names on the electoral rolls (ER) of 2003 (presuming the exact name and residence have not changed) have a shortcut. They can attach a copy of the page carrying their name in the ER-2003. That will be accepted as proof of their citizenship. The EC has claimed that 4.96 crore people (63% of those currently on the ER) will be able to take this shortcut, leaving less than 3 crores to prove their eligibility. Rahul Shastri in The Hindu debunks this claim saying that the EC did not consider the number of deaths, migration and shifting of residence since 2003! He demonstrates that the correct figure is closer to 3.16 crore. In a first, the onus of being on the voters' list has been shifted from the state to the citizen. Those who fail to submit fresh enumeration forms by July 25 will automatically be left out of the draft rolls. Also, for the first time, every person would be required to provide documentary proof of their citizenship to qualify to be on the voters' list. In other words, it is not enough to have an Aadhaar card, the EC's photo identity card, ration card or MGNREGA job card, as none of them would be accepted by the ECI to enrol someone as a voter. While political hackles have been raised with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and CM-aspirant Tejaswi Yadav announcing a general strike on July 9, the matter has reached the Supreme Court. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has approached the apex court questioning the manner and timing of the EC's decision to undertake the SIR of electoral rolls. In its public interest litigation (PIL), ADR said SIR needs to be set aside, as insisting on people to prove their citizenship and that of their parents within short notice and without relying upon easily available identity documents such as Aadhaar card will potentially disenfranchise nearly 3 crore voters. A Special Summary Revision (SSR) was carried out in the state between October 29, 2024, and January 6, 2025, to address issues of migration and ineligible voters due to death or other reasons. Pointing this out, the petition said, 'There is no reason for such a drastic exercise in a poll bound state in such a short period of time, violating the right to vote of lakhs of voters.' The Supreme Court on July 7 agreed to hear on July 10 a batch of petitions challenging the decision of the EC. Says DM Diwakar, former director at Patna's AN Sinha Institute and currently with the Development Research Institute, Jalsain: ``Let us face the truth — the kind of proof the ECI is demanding, simply does not exist with most people because the state never supplied them the papers it demands of them today.'' According to him, it is tragic that at this time of the year, when the farmers are facing a drought-like situation, slogging to cultivate their crops, the EC is demanding documents that they may not be able to produce in time. In addition, there are other implications, says Diwakar. ``Many voters were born here. If left out of the electoral roll, they may not qualify for benefits and government programmes in the future. It is a downright anti-poor move.' A consensus on the number of voters is also elusive, for the moment. The EC on July 6 issued an advertisement in all the vernacular dailies urging the 7.8 crore voters to fill their enumeration form and submit it to their respective block level officers (BLOs) without attaching any document. The draft roll will be published in August wherein any voter may raise objections or get the anomalies corrected. The final draft of the voters' list will be published in September. Political sources suggest that the main trigger for the SIR may be to weed out illegal Bangladeshi migrants in some parts of Bihar, notably the Seemanchal area, which constitutes the districts of Purnea, Kishanganj, Araria and Katihar. The BJP has for years campaigned against illegal migrants. Political analyst Amitabh Tewari says it is important to focus on citizenship rights. ``It is interesting to note that Form 6 of the EC, which admits fresh voters, does not have a column on citizenship rights. Noone can say, why. So, what should have been done in the first instance, is now being done in Bihar.' The bone of contention is not so much the legalities but the manner of its execution. Former chief election commissioner TS Krishnamurthy told this reporter: ``The CEC is well within its rights to call for a revision of the voters list. While some people have expressed concern over the timing, the EC is more than ready. They have already appointed 77,895 BLOs and 20,603 more are expected to join in.'' He adds, however, that such decisions are taken in consultation with political parties and that needs time. In effect this is, as critics have alleged, a move at votebandi, following notebandi (demonetisation) and deshbandi (lockdown). And therein may lie the difference. Analyst Diwakar points out that unlike 2025, in 2003, when it was last held, the SIR was an extensive exercise with several rounds of discussions with political parties, before the final announcement. This decision by the EC, announced on June 24, was a bolt out of the blue.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ludh bypoll: Final electoral roll published after revision
Ludhiana: In view of the upcoming bypoll for the Ludhiana West Assembly constituency , the final electoral roll was published by the electoral registration officer (ERO), Ludhiana West, following special summary revision. April 1 is the qualifying date as per the schedule announced by the election commission of India (ECI). Copies of the final electoral roll were also handed over to representatives of recognised political parties by Himanshu Jain, district election officer, Ludhiana, as per the ECI guidelines. Divulging the details in Chandigarh, Sibin C, chief electoral officer, Punjab, said, "As per the revised roll, total number of electors in the constituency now stands at 1,74,437, which includes 89,602 male voters, 84,825 women, and 10 third-gender voters. The number of polling stations have been rationalised to 192, improving accessibility and enabling a more convenient voting experience for all citizens. Notably, electors photo identity card (EPIC) coverage is at 100%, a testament to the efforts towards achieving a pure electoral roll." The revision process was conducted strictly as per the guidelines of the ECI by following relevant Acts and Rules. "The entire revision process was carried out strictly in accordance with the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, adhering to all relevant Acts and Rules. Key steps, such as providing the lists of claims and objections, as well as sharing the draft and final electoral rolls with political parties, were diligently followed," highlighted Sibin C. In addition, the chief electoral officer, Punjab, highlighted the provision of appeal by electors to the DEO against the order of the ERO and further to the chief electoral officer-level if required, as per the provision of Section 24 of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1950, and Rule 23 of the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960. The primary objective of the special summary revision – 2025 is to include newly eligible and left-out voters, who have completed or will be completing the age of 18 years on or before April 1, 2025.
