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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
30 Oppn MPs were invited for meeting, no one turned up: Election Commission
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday said it had invited Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and up to 30 Opposition MPs for a meeting at noon, but the delegation did not attend. This came as a response to the Opposition MPs staging a protest march from Parliament to the commission's headquarters. Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, party MPs KV Venugopal, Pramod Tiwar and other INDIA bloc leaders during their protest march to the Election Commission from the Parliament, over the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral rolls and alleging voter fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, in New Delhi on Monday.(ANI) In a letter on Sunday, the ECI wrote to Ramesh: 'The Commission has considered the request made therein and decided to give an appointment for an interaction at 12:00 PM on 11.08.2025 (Monday) at Sukumar Sen Hall, 7th Floor, Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi… due to limitation of space, names of up to 30 persons along with vehicle numbers may kindly be intimated at the e-mail [election@ (mailto:election@ This was written in response to Ramesh's letter to the commission informing it of the march and saying, "Thereafter, the MPs wish to collectively meet with the Commission on a host of issues including but not limited to SIR of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar and proposed to be undertaken in other states as well.' Also Read | Fainting, jumping barricades & detention: What went down at INDIA bloc's protest march ECI said Ramesh acknowledged the letter but did not provide the list, and the opposition staged a protest instead. Senior ECI officials said, 'Jairam Ramesh had acknowledged yesterday, the invitation for 30 MPs to meet ECI today at 12 Noon. Now he has changed his tone… How does one trust INC? They agreed to come with 30 MPs and then find ways to run away from EC.' In a post on X, shared along with the copy of a letter, Ramesh said: 'Here is our original request to the ECI. It is for the Opposition MPs to collectively hand over a memorandum and NOT for just a delegation' The ECI also pressed upon Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to either submit a signed declaration or 'apologise to the country'. On August 7, Gandhi said, 'We found 100,250 votes stolen in five different ways. Duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters in a single address, in a building with 50–60 people living. But, when we go there, there is no record of those people...' The ECI said on Sunday, 'If Shri Rahul Gandhi believes in his analysis and believes that his allegations against the Election Staffs are true he should have no problem in submitting claims and objections against specific voters and sign the Declaration/Oath as per Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rule, 1960.' The BJD on Monday said that it will approach the Orissa high court to seek clarity on alleged discrepancies in the 2024 Lok Sabha and assembly elections. BJD leader Amar Patnaik said the party had submitted a memorandum to the ECI in December 2023 highlighting 'serious discrepancies' in the poll data. 'ECI has failed to address our concerns or provide satisfactory answers. We would soon move HC on these discrepancies,' he said.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Half of Bihar could lose voting rights: ADR's Jagdeep Chhokar on EC's voter list revision
The Election Commission's (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar has triggered a political storm, with the opposition Congress dubbing it 'a rigging attempt' orchestrated by the poll panel under instructions from the ruling regime. Jagdeep Chhokar said the SIR is problematic and illegal as people added to the rolls after January 1, 2003 have been deleted without due process.(X/@JagdeepChhokar) At least half a dozen petitions by political parties, individuals and civil society groups have been filed in the Supreme Court against what they call a 'blatantly unconstitutional' exercise. Impractical reasoning The Supreme Court will hear these petitions on July 10. Jagdeep Chhokar, co-founder of the election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and one of the petitioners in SC against SIR, says the process is 'illegal and impractical.' Half of Bihar could lose voting rights if SIR is not stopped right now, Chhokar tells Hindustan Times. 'In its June 24, 2025 notification, the EC said there is a presumption of citizenship for people whose names are in the electoral rolls before January 1, 2003. This means there is no presumption of citizenship for people added to the rolls after January 1, 2003. This also means people added to the voter list from January 1, 2003, to June 23, 2025, have effectively been deleted from the electoral rolls,' he says. Deletion of names But there are laws for the deletion of names from the voters' list, the ADR co-founder points out. 'The Registration of Electors Rule, 1960 and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 say if the EC intends to delete voters' names, it has to send a notice to the person or persons. The poll panel is supposed to find reasons why his or her name should not be deleted, so there is a provision for giving a personal hearing. Chhokar says people who were added to the rolls after January 1, 2003, have been deleted without following due process. That is precisely why the SIR is problematic and illegal, he says. ALSO READ | Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar progressing as per order: EC The election commission is empowered to conduct a summary or intensive revision of electoral rolls whenever it wants, for reasons to be recorded. The EC has cited rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths, and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants as reasons that have necessitated the intensive revision. 'But these reasons have been there for 20-25 years. These reasons being cited right now are not justified." The question of voter eligibility The issue of voter eligibility is another problem in the entire process, he says. 'Voter eligibility comes from Form VI, which has a declaration certifying that the person is a citizen of India with details. The person gives a certificate as proof of his date of birth, be it Aadhaar or any other document. But the notification issued on June 24 talks about a new declaration. So this is a change in the criteria for eligibility of a voter. This is illegal when done by the EC. This can be done by the Home Ministry, but not by the EC,' he says. ALSO READ | All eligible citizens will be included: CEC on voter list revision in Bihar Chhokar also questions the speed at which the SIR is being done. The EC started the exercise on June 25 and will complete it in about a month. 'A BLO goes to a voter's house and gives the enumeration form. The next time, he goes and collects the form. Each BLO has to go to a voter's house at least twice. Is it possible to complete the exercise in one month?' he asks. In the face of criticism, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on July 6 defended the SIR of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state, saying the poll panel had 'invited all recognised political parties for interaction' on the matter and 'no one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other'. Migrant population Chhokar points out that since 30-40 per cent of people from Bihar migrate to other states, it is not possible for them to fill out the enumeration forms. 'They won't be at home. The EC says that these people can download the form from the website, fill it, and upload. Now, imagine how a labourer from Bihar working in farms in Punjab and construction sites in Worli, Mumbai, can download and upload this form,' he says. After the row, Bihar CEO issued an advertisement in newspapers saying one need not give documents and Aadhaar would do. But, Chhokar says, in a press note issued on July 6, EC said 'the electors can submit their documents any time before July 25, 2025.' 'This statement contradicts what the Bihar CEO says about 'Aadhaar will do', and that no other documents are required,' he says. If this is being done and in the way it is being done, Chhokar says, more than half of the people of Bihar would be disenfranchised. EC can do the revision exercise, but Barring the citizenship question, Chhokar says, the EC can do the revision exercise. 'But the way it is being done is problematic. Had they done this a year ago, it would have been okay. The EC can do it legally, but that doesn't mean you violate existing laws. There are Supreme Court judgements, too,' he says. The ADR has prayed that SIR be stopped completely, and if not now, at least order a stay and discuss it before taking it up again. 'If it is not stopped now, it will disrupt the electoral process and disenfranchise people. We know that if someone is not proven to be a citizen, he can also be deported. This is very dangerous,' Chhokar says.
Mint
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Interview: Half of Bihar could lose voting rights — ADR's Jagdeep Chhokar sounds alarm on EC's Bihar voter list revision
The Election Commission's (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar has triggered a political storm, with the opposition Congress dubbing it 'a rigging attempt' orchestrated by the poll panel under instructions from the ruling regime. At least half a dozen petitions by political parties, individuals and civil society groups have been filed in the Supreme Court against what they call a 'blatantly unconstitutional' exercise. The Supreme Court will take up these petitions on July 10. With claims of potential 'disenfranchisement' and the risk of creating 'second-class citizens,' the Election Commission's move has now snowballed into a major flashpoint ahead of the Bihar elections and chances of it being replicated in other states. In an exclusive interview with LiveMint, Jagdeep Chhokar, co-founder of the election watchdog, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), one of the petitioners in SC against SIR, explains why the process is illegal and impractical. Edited excerpts of the interview: A: We find the way this revision is being done and the timeframe illegal and impractical. I will explain why In its June 24, 2025 notification, the Election Commission says there is a presumption of citizenship for people whose names are in the electoral rolls before January 1, 2003. This means there is no presumption of citizenship for people added to the rolls after January 1, 2003. This also means people added to the voter list from January 1, 2003, to June 23, 2025, have effectively been deleted from the electoral rolls. But there are laws for the deletion of names from the voters' list. It is mentioned in the Registration of Electors Rule, 1960 and the Representation of the Act, 1951. In both cases, it's written that if people are enrolled in a voter list and the election commission intends to delete their names, it has to send a notice to the person or persons. In fact, if the person is not at home, the poll panel has to paste a notice outside his/her home. The poll panel is supposed to find reasons why his or her name should not be deleted, so there is a provision for giving a personal hearing. A: People who were added to the rolls after January 1, 2003, have been deleted from the rolls without following due process, as mentioned in the law. Since these laws exist, this is problematic and illegal. The election commission is empowered to conduct a summary or intensive revision of electoral rolls whenever it wants for reasons to be recorded. The EC has cited rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths, and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants as reasons that have necessitated the intensive revision. But these reasons have been there for 20-25 years. These reasons being cited right now are not justified. The issue of voter eligibility is another problem in the entire process. A: Voter eligibility comes from Form VI, which has a declaration certifying that the person is a citizen of India with details. The person gives a certificate as proof of his date of birth, be it Aadhaar or any other document. But the notification issued on June 24 talks about a new declaration. It asks one category of citizens to submit proof of date of birth and place of birth. For another category, it asks for proof of date of birth/place of birth of self and one of the parents. For another category, proof of date of birth and place of birth for both parents is required. So this is a change in the criteria for eligibility of a voter. This is illegal when done by the Election Commission. This can be done by the Home Ministry, but not by the Election Commission. A: The Election Commission started the exercise on June 25 and will complete it in about a month. A BLO goes to a voter's house and gives the enumeration form. The next time, he goes and collects the form. Each BLO has to go to a voter's house at least twice. Is it possible to complete the exercise in one month? First, it is not possible that BLO will find everyone at home. Other issue which raises practicality questions is that 30-40 per cent people from Bihar migrate to other states. They won't be at home. The EC says that these people can download the form from the website, fill it and upload. Now, imagine how a labourer from Bihar working in farms in Punjab and construction sites in Worli, Mumbai, can download and upload this form. Then the EC has listed 11 documents as proof. The requirement is to prove the date of birth and place of birth. A high school certificate is one of the documents. I have not so far seen a high school certificate which mentions myplace of birth. Only passport and birth certificates have place of birth. Only 2 per cent people of Bihar have passports. A school leaving certificate is also a requirement. How many people in Bihar pass high school? Because of these reasons, this is impractical. A: Yes, after people started asking these practical questions, Bihar CEO issued an advertisement in newspapers. The ad said you need not give documents and Aadhaar would do. There is a lot of confusion. Here is why. On July 6, the Election Commission issued a press note saying 'initial phase of Bihar SIR completed.' It also said '1.69 Crore (21.46 per cent) Enumeration Forms Collected 7.25 per cent uploaded on ECINET We have been asking how the 7.25 per cent of forms can be uploaded in such a short time. The press note also says, 'The electors can submit their documents any time before July 25, 2025.' This statement contradicts what the Bihar CEO says about 'Aadhaar will do', and that no other documents are required. The press note also says that 'After publication of draft Electoral Rolls, if any document is deficient, EROs can obtain such documents, from the electors whose name appears in the draft Electoral Rolls, during scrutiny in the Claims and Objection period.' It clearly shows that documents are required but they can be given later. Whether the last date is July 25 or the end of the 'complaint and objections' is not clear. A: I would not know. To my understanding, this should not been done in the way it is being done. But if this is being done and in the way it is being done, more than half of the people of Bihar would be disenfranchised. The EC says in its notice that it will be done in other states too. A: Barring the citizenship question, yes, the EC can do the revision exercise. But the way it is being done is problematic. Had they done this a year ago, it would have been okay. The EC can do it legally, but that doesn't mean you violate existing laws. There are Supreme Court judgements, too. In the Lal Babu Hussein vS Electoral Registration Officer (1995), the Supreme Court set aside the High Court's judgments and issued comprehensive directions to the Election Commission. The court mandated that any action to delete a voter's name must be preceded by adequate evidence and must provide the affected individuals with a fair opportunity to present their case. The Court underscored the importance of natural justice, ensuring that the process is not only procedurally sound but also substantively fair. More than half of the people of Bihar would be disenfranchised. A: We want it to be stopped completely, and if not now, at least order a stay and discuss it before taking it up again. If it is not stopped now, it will disrupt the electoral process and disenfranchise people. We know that if someone is not proven to be a citizen, he can also be deported. This is very dangerous.
