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Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Manipur district election officers begin SIR outreach, meet parties
Even as Manipur remains under President's Rule, district election officers have begun holding meetings with local representatives of political parties to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. While these meetings have already been held in at least five of the 16 districts in the state, notices convening such meetings have been issued in the remaining districts. On Monday, representatives of the BJP, Congress and the Kuki People's Alliance attended one such meeting in Kangpokpi district. According to an official there, the meeting was held based on 'informal' instructions issued by the State Election Commission. 'There was no formal notice from either the Election Commission of India or from the State Election Commission to conduct such meetings. However, we were given an informal communication that in view of the ensuing SIR, a meeting should be held with political parties to sensitise them on the process, as well as on pre-revision house-to-house surveys and rationalisation of polling stations,' the official said. At the meeting, representatives of all three parties are learnt to have expressed concern over the non-inclusion of Aadhaar cards for the exercise. Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the Assembly elections there, the Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission to consider inclusion of Aadhaar, Voter ID and ration cards as proof for updating the rolls. 'We had communicated with the representatives about the 11 documents that are permissible for proving identity and address. They were concerned that in a hilly, tribal area like this, most people may not have the other required documents but are most likely to have Aadhaar since it is linked with so many things,' said the official. Thangjamang Kipgem, a BJP leader who attended the meeting, said the concern was shared by other parties as well. 'We are very concerned about this, because Aadhaar is one document that everyone, from new voters to old people, are most likely to have. The officials told us that they will convey our concerns to the authorities,' he said. A similar meeting was also held in Kamjong on Monday, which was attended by representatives of the BJP, Congress and the Naga People's Front. 'We explained what the process is and what the documents required are. The representatives emphasised that every eligible citizen must be a part of the electoral roll,' said a district official. Similar meetings have also been held in Noney, Ukhrul and Thoubal districts. Earlier this month, the state also conducted training sessions on the SIR for booth level officers and their supervisors across multiple Assembly constituencies. With these preparatory steps, Manipur has set the ball rolling for an imminent SIR, even as its neighbour, Assam, has effectively sought a delay in the exercise in the state by asking for the inclusion in a final NRC — a matter that has been in limbo for six years — as among the admissible documents.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CS instructs officials not to appoint teachers to revise voters' list
Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh has instructed the District Election Officers and Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of all districts to appoint non-teaching staff, officers, and staff members working in various departments on priority basis for the task of revising the voters' list, instead of teachers. In a note to the officials, Ms. Rajneesh said that in the public interest, school teachers working under the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) were being made Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for revising the voters' list. 'Due to this, the Principal Secretary of the DSEL has expressed concern that the educational activities in schools are being hampered and the quality of education is decreasing,' she said. 'In the order issued by the Supreme Court on December 06, 2007, in civil appeal, it has been instructed to generally use the services of school teachers during holidays, non-teaching days and to assign non-teaching staff to election duties at any time,' she stated in the note. However, it may be noted that the State Election Commission has decided to appoint about 40,000 teachers as BLOs for this task. The training has already started for BLOs in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits from July 15. Mr. Madhu Bangarappa, Minister for School Education, had objected to this and had instructed the officials of DSEL not to depute teachers for any other tasks, except educational activities. He had also instructed the Principal Secretary of the department to write a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner of the State in this regard. 'The government has already issued several orders prohibiting teachers from being assigned to other tasks in order to ensure that they focus more on teaching and respond adequately to the academic development of students and bring about better results. Despite convincing the State Election Commission about this through a letter, it is not right to proceed with appointing teachers as BLOs for the revision of the voter list,' Mr. Madhu Bangarappa said. No teachers for caste census either There was also a speculation that the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission is planning to conduct a fresh Social and Educational Survey (Caste Census) during the upcoming Dasara holidays through government school teachers. However, Mr. Madhu Bangarappa clarified that teachers will not be deputed for any census, including upcoming caste census for any reason. 'The teachers in the State have already successfully completed the Scheduled Caste survey for internal reservation during the summer vacation. Now the State Election Commission is trying to depute teachers for the revision of the voters' list. The Union government has also announced census, which includes enumeration of castes as well in 2027. Each and every census will take at least two to three moths to complete the work. If teachers are appointed for all these tasks, the future of the students will be destroyed. Therefore, it has been decided not to appoint teachers for any census,' he said.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Panchayat polls: Women's representation still overshadowed by men, say observers
Dehradun: As Uttarakhand heads into the second phase of its three-tier panchayat elections on Monday, observers tracking campaign trends in remote areas have flagged a continued dominance of men in political activities, despite the legal mandate reserving 50% of seats for women. Social activists expressed concern that male interference in political campaigns is widespread and may persist even after the polls. While the law mandates equal participation, several women candidates and voters said their male family members are often the ones leading campaign strategy and execution. "We went to rural parts of Kumaon and Garhwal and observed that in several villages, campaign posters for women-reserved seats prominently feature male relatives instead of the actual candidates. This reflects the ground reality of rural development and the status of women's empowerment in our state," said Kamla Pant, president of Uttarakhand Mahila Manch. Talking about the role of women in rural democracy, Swati Nayal, a candidate who left her metro-city career to return to Nainital for rural development work, said, "Women's empowerment should begin at the grassroots level. However, we often see pradhan-patis taking charge of villages, which limits true gender parity and democratic representation." Kiran Dangwal, head of the sociology department at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, said, "Traditionally, women in Uttarakhand have led both indoor and outdoor responsibilities. Movements like Chipko and anti-liquor protests were largely led by rural women. Today, with rising participation of hill women in administration, defence, science, medical, and teaching fields, they are steadily transforming outdated perceptions. " Meanwhile, Shakuntla Datal, a Tilu Rauteli awardee from Pithoragarh, said she plans to meet the chief minister with a demand to ensure only elected women representatives hold office. "Only winning women should attend official meetings — not their husbands or 'pradhan-patis'. Otherwise, reserving 50% of seats for women is meaningless if men continue to call the shots," she said. As per the State Election Commission, for panchayat polls Uttarakhand has 47.7 lakh registered voters, including 24.6 lakh men, 23.1 lakh women, and 374 others. According to the preliminary information, of the total 66,418 posts to be filled in the panchayat elections, 22,429 candidates have been elected unopposed, while 32,580 remain in the fray. In the first phase held on July 24, voting decided the fate of 17,829 candidates. The remaining 14,751 will go to polls on Monday, July 28, said state election commission officials.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Have nothing to say: Kerala LoP Satheesan on Vellappally's derogatory remark
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Replying to SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan's accusation that Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan harbours anti-Ezhava sentiments, the latter said that 'he has nothing to say.' Satheesan said he had just pointed out the fact that Vellappally's statements were against the philosophy of Sree Narayana Guru. Earlier in the day, Vellappally had come down heavily against Satheesan for 'nursing chief ministerial ambition.' Vellappally also said that Satheesan is 'keeping an anti-Ezhava stance.' 'My voters knew better than anyone else. In my constituency, about 52% of voters are from the Ezhava community. What did I say against the Ezhava community? I like Guru and believe in his philosophy. I will oppose anyone who is making such communal statements,' he said. He also downplayed the social media campaigns comparing the last journeys of former CMs Oommen Chandy and V S Achuthanandan. 'The vehicle which carried the body of Oommen Chandy travelled to Kottayam through MC Road and the funeral procession of VS travelled through MG Road and his body was cremated in Alappuzha. People liked these two leaders. The government arrested persons who made derogatory remarks against VS from their houses. However, the police did not act against those who denounced Oommen Chandy,' he added. Satheesan also alleged that there were widespread irregularities in the voters list published by the State Election Commission. 'The names of many people who had voted in the last election were omitted. However, the names of those who died three or four years ago are included in the list. It is wrong to set the deadline to include names in the voters list as 15 days. The delimitation has been completed in violation of HC's instructions. If the commission did not take action to review the list, the UDF will take legal recourse,' he said.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Error-ridden draft voters' list published on July 23, alleges Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan
The draft voters' list published by the State Election Commission on July 23 contains numerous errors, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged on Saturday, adding that the time limit for rectifying the errors and new enrollment should be increased to at least 30 days. Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Satheesan said the names of several voters who had exercised their franchise in the last local body elections were missing in the draft rolls. On the other hand, the names of voters who had died three or four years ago have been included in the list, he said. There are also instances where members of the same family have been divided among different wards. Some voters even have votes in three wards, he alleged. Mr. Satheesan further alleged that officials who were tasked with the collection of voter information had meddled with the list with the aid of the regional leaders of the CPI(M). In such a situation, it is impractical to insist that new enrollment and rectification of errors should be completed in 15 days, he said. The Commission should extend the time limit to at least 30 days, he said. Section 24 of the Panchayat Raj Act says that the voters' list should not be revised between the last date of filing nominations and the election day. Which means, there is nothing preventing enrollment up to the deadline for filing nominations, Mr. Satheesan said. The State Election Commission had published the draft electoral rolls on July 23 ahead of its revision for the 2025 local body elections in Kerala. The Commission has given time till August 7 for the addition and removal of names and correcting mistakes. Mr. Satheesan also reiterated the United Democratic Front (UDF)'s demand that the number of voters per polling booth should be reduced. The number of voters per booth should be revised from 1,300 to 1,100 in the panchayats and from 1,600 to 1,300 in municipalities, according to the UDF. If the commission failed to address this issue, the UDF will seek legal recourse, he said.
