Latest news with #SpecialIntensiveRevision
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Union minister Jitendra Singh backs RSS call to review ‘socialist', ‘secular' in Preamble; Congress says Sangh 'never accepted Constitution'
NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, accusing them of trying to erase the names of poor and marginalised voters from the electoral rolls. 'The Election Commission has suddenly announced a special intensive revision. This means that the voter list published in February, which had the latest additions and deletions, has now been set aside.' He said that the entire list of eight crore Bihari voters has been sidelined, and now a fresh voter list will be created from scratch. — ANI (@ANI) He raised doubts over why this process is being conducted with only two months left before the elections and the feasibility of completing it in time. 'This clearly raises a question, why is this being done just two months before the elections? And is it even possible to prepare a fresh voter list of eight crore people within just 25 days?' 'Not only that, documents demanded are what the poor simply don't have,' the RJD leader said. Tejaswi added that his party will take up the issue with the election commission and send a delegation to present detailed objections in the coming days. He further accused PM Modi and Nitish Kumar of conspiring to erase the names of poor and marginalised voters from the electoral rolls under the guise of the EC's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive. 'The matter is clear, Nitish Ji and Modi Ji are intention is to get the names of poor people removed from the voter list. In a democracy, the most important right that the poor have is the right to vote. And now the BJP and Nitish Ji want to snatch that right away from the poor, the oppressed, and those on the margins of society, the backbenchers, those who stand at the end of the social ladder.' Earlier this week, the election commission issued a notification clarifying that the SIR in Bihar aims to ensure inclusion of all eligible voters, eliminate ineligible names, and improve transparency. It said that factors like rapid urbanisation, migration, deaths, and the risk of illegal foreign entrants are a major reason for the revision. The last such revision in the state took place in 2003. Meanwhile, Congress has also objected to the exercise. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the EC of acting as a 'puppet' of Prime Minister Modi. 'For a long time, we have been pressuring the Election Commission and saying their process is not transparent. With this new conspiracy, lakhs of people in Bihar and across India will be deprived of their right to vote,' Khera said during a visit to the state.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bihar elections: Tejaswi Yadav slams PM Modi, Nitish; says electoral rolls revision will snatch voting rights from poor
NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, accusing them of trying to erase the names of poor and marginalised voters from the electoral rolls. 'The Election Commission has suddenly announced a special intensive revision. This means that the voter list published in February, which had the latest additions and deletions, has now been set aside.' He said that the entire list of eight crore Bihari voters has been sidelined, and now a fresh voter list will be created from scratch. He raised doubts over why this process is being conducted with only two months left before the elections and the feasibility of completing it in time. 'This clearly raises a question, why is this being done just two months before the elections? And is it even possible to prepare a fresh voter list of eight crore people within just 25 days?' 'Not only that, documents demanded are what the poor simply don't have,' the RJD leader said. Tejaswi added that his party will take up the issue with the election commission and send a delegation to present detailed objections in the coming days. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 반지 그 이상의 가치를 월 2만 원으로 만나보세요 굿네이버스 더 알아보기 Undo He further accused PM Modi and Nitish Kumar of conspiring to erase the names of poor and marginalised voters from the electoral rolls under the guise of the EC's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive. 'The matter is clear, Nitish Ji and Modi Ji are intention is to get the names of poor people removed from the voter list. In a democracy, the most important right that the poor have is the right to vote. And now the BJP and Nitish Ji want to snatch that right away from the poor, the oppressed, and those on the margins of society, the backbenchers, those who stand at the end of the social ladder.' Earlier this week, the election commission issued a notification clarifying that the SIR in Bihar aims to ensure inclusion of all eligible voters, eliminate ineligible names, and improve transparency. It said that factors like rapid urbanisation, migration, deaths, and the risk of illegal foreign entrants are a major reason for the revision. The last such revision in the state took place in 2003. Meanwhile, Congress has also objected to the exercise. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the EC of acting as a 'puppet' of Prime Minister Modi. 'For a long time, we have been pressuring the Election Commission and saying their process is not transparent. With this new conspiracy, lakhs of people in Bihar and across India will be deprived of their right to vote,' Khera said during a visit to the state.
The Hindu
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress opposes special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar
The Congress on Thursday (June 26, 2025) opposed the Election Commission's (EC) decision to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of Assembly elections. 'The INC opposes the devious Special Intensive Revision exercise ordered by the EC for Bihar,' party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said in a post on X. The empowered group of leaders and experts (EAGLE) of the Congress issued a statement saying the move would lead to 'wilful exclusion of voters'. 'The special intensive revision means that the EC will visit every single household and re-enroll every eligible voter in Bihar after a verification of identity and residential documents. In simple terms, the EC wants to discard the current electoral rolls entirely and create a fresh new electoral roll for the State,' said the Congress statement Also read | Polls and processes: On Assembly bye-elections, the ECI 'But SIR is a devious and dubious idea in the disguise of a solution. 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 coming Bihar elections, etc. This carries a huge risk of wilful exclusion of voters using the power of the State machinery,' it added. The statement said the SIR was an 'explicit admission by the EC that all is not well with India's electoral rolls' 'Exactly what the Congress and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi have been repeatedly pointing out with evidence from Maharashtra,' the statement noted.
NDTV
17 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"Dangerous": Congress Slams Poll Body's Intensive Revision Of Electoral Rolls In Bihar
Patna: The Congress party has strongly opposed the Election Commission of India's decision to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming 2025 Assembly elections, calling the move an "explicit admission" that the country's electoral rolls are flawed. In a statement, the party said: "This notification is a clear, explicit admission by the Election Commission that all is not well with India's electoral rolls, precisely what the Congress party and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have been flagging repeatedly, especially in Maharashtra." The Congress termed the SIR a "devious and dubious idea disguised as a solution." It alleged that the process, which involves government officials visiting every household to verify identity and residential documents before re-enrolling voters, poses a serious threat of disenfranchisement. "Lakhs of Union and State government officials will now control and dictate who has correct documents and who doesn't. This carries a huge risk of wilful exclusion of voters using the power of the state machinery," the statement warned. The party further criticised the complex documentation requirements, especially the birth certificates of voters and their parents, calling them "arbitrary, whimsical and onerous" on Bihar's estimated 8.1 crore eligible voters. The Congress also questioned the EC's abrupt shift in strategy. The party noted that on March 8, 2025, the EC had floated a proposal for electoral roll clean-up using Aadhaar, which, while not perfect, was deemed more viable. "Why was the Aadhaar-based approach dropped? What changed in just three months for the EC to abandon that and suddenly announce a full-scale SIR in Bihar?" the Congress asked. With the Assembly elections just months away, the Congress expressed deep suspicion over the timing of the EC's move, especially in light of the Commission's refusal to address the party's concerns about voter roll discrepancies in Maharashtra. "Given the EC's dogged resistance to our long-pending demands and its dubious actions in the past, there is enough reason to suspect the motives behind the SIR plan in Bihar," the statement added. The party concluded by stating its firm opposition to the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar, calling it a ploy to discard the current electoral roll and create an entirely new one just before the election. "We strongly oppose this move not only in Bihar but also in its potential rollout in other states. The integrity of the electoral process must not be compromised under the guise of verification," the statement said.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Cong opposes EC's electoral roll revision, says 'willful voter exclusion'
The Congress on Thursday opposed the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of this year's assembly polls saying it carries the risk of "willful exclusion" of voters using the state machinery. In a statement, the Congress' empowered action group of leaders and experts (EAGLE), said this revision of electoral rolls by the EC is a "cure worse than the disease". The leaders said by undertaking the revision in Bihar and some other states, the EC has "admitted that all is not well" with India's electoral rolls. "The Congress party firmly opposes the SIR proposal of the EC for the Bihar state elections and subsequently in other states," the group said. The revision means that the EC will visit every single household and re-enroll every eligible voter in Bihar after a verification of identity and residential documents, the group said, adding that in simple terms, the poll panel 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. "But the revision is a devious and dubious idea in the disguise of a solution. 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," the Congress experts and leaders said. They said the EC has come up with arduous rules for providing birth certificates of voters and their parents depending on the year of birth. These rules, the Congress said, are "arbitrary, whimsical and onerous" on the estimated 8.1 crore eligible voters in Bihar in 2025 (as per report of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, November 2019). The party said the EC had mooted a proposal on March 8 for electoral roll cleaning using Aadhaar, which while not perfect, is a more viable alternative solution than a electoral rolls revision in Bihar. "Why did the EC abandon that to suddenly announce an SIR three months after the Aadhaar proposal," it asked. Given the EC's dogged resistance to the Congress' long pending demand for Maharashtra electoral rolls and its dubious actions in the past, the party said, there is enough reason to be suspect about EC's plans for a revision in Bihar just a few months before an election. Congress leader Pawan Khera said, "the proposed Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls carries a huge risk of willful exclusion of voters using the power of the state machinery." The EC has said that it will carry out the intensive review of electoral rolls this year in six states beginning with Bihar to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth. Bihar is going to polls this year while assembly polls in five other states -- Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal -- are scheduled in 2026.
