India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
PATNA: The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday claimed that the initial phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in election bound Bihar has been completed, with the forms having been made available to all the eligible electors. Further, the EC asserted that Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was "being implemented smoothly at the ground level" and "there is no change in instructions". The EC on June 24 issued instructions to carry out an SIR in Bihar, apparently to weed out ineligible names and ensure only eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll. In a statement here, the EC made it clear that while voters were required to "submit their documents anytime before July 25, 2025", those who failed to do so would get an opportunity "during the Claims & Objections period also". The EC also urged people to "beware of statements being made by a few persons, who without reading the SIR order dated 24 June 2025.... are attempting to confuse the public with their incorrect and misleading statements". According to the EC, the exercise was necessitated by rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths, and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants. The poll panel said that with the exercise, it wants to ensure the integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls.
The Election Commission introduces new rules for voter enrollment. Voters enrolled after 2003-04 must now provide proof of citizenship. This includes a self-attested declaration and supporting documents. The move aims to remove illegal immigrants from the electoral roll. Bihar will be the first state to implement the special intensive revision. Other states will follow soon.In a move to identify and remove illegal immigrants wrongly included in the electoral rolls, the Election Commission has man ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Despite their protests over the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral roll, the state's opposition parties have already joined the exercise in full strength, deploying over 56,000 booth level agents (BLAs) to monitor every stage of the process.RJD has appointed 47,143 BLAs, making it second only to BJP that has positioned 51,964 BLAs in the field. Congress has appointed 8,586 BLAs, CPI(ML) (Liberation) 233, CPM 76, and BS.BJP allies JDU, Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party have appointed 27,931, 2,457 and 264 BLAs, respectively, taking the total ...Read More >
Kochi: Edison Babu's neighbours in Muvattupuzha knew him as the quiet engineer who had returned home during the pandemic. The 35-year-old former auto industry professional seemed to lead an unremarkable life in this sleepy Kerala suburb, occasionally visiting the local post office with packages: nothing unusual for someone running what appeared to be a small online business. What they didn't know was that their mild-mannered neighbour had built India's most sophisticated darknet drug empire, one that relied heavily on the very government postal service that was meant to serve the community. ...Read More >
Patna: Amid mounting criticism from opposition parties, the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday clarified that there has been no change in the instructions governing the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and that the existing rules continue to apply.Releasing an official statement, the EC reiterated that the SIR process is being carried out as per its June 24 guidelines. It said the names of electors who submit enumeration forms by July 25 will be included in the draft electoral rolls due for publication on Aug 1.Importantly, it added that the absence of docum ...Read More >
Patna: Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday said pure electoral rolls were essential for strengthening democracy as the Election Commission (EC) claimed that it had reached the halfway mark in collecting enumeration forms in Bihar during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls."Pure electoral rolls are inevitable for strengthening democracy," the CEC told reporters in Delhi, amid the revision drive underway in the poll-bound state.According to the EC, the SIR is progressing rapidly, with 3,70,77,077 enumeration forms collected by the end of Tuesday, amou ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: A day before Supreme Court takes up a batch of petitions challenging the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Election Commision took to X to quote from Article 326 of the Constitution, which unequivocally mandates the poll panel to register only Indian citizens above 18 years of age, unless disqualified, as voters.With enumeration forms of nearly 57.5% of Bihar's 7.9 crore voters collected in the initial 15 days of SIR, EC officials told TOI the names of all electors who figured in Bihar rolls on June 24, 2025 and who turn in their filled-up enumera ...Read More >
Gyanesh Kumar NEW DELHI: With enumeration forms distributed to 93.7% of Bihar's 7.9 crore electorate so far and 13.2% electors already submitting the completed and signed forms, EC officials Saturday told TOI that documents can be added or uploaded by electors whose enumeration forms were submitted with incomplete documentation, right until July 25. July 25 is the last date for submission of the filled-up enumeration forms."As of Saturday 6pm, over one crore enumeration forms (13.2% of Bihar's electors) have been received. The percentage of forms distributed has also gone up to 93.6%, with 7.4 ...Read More >
Puri: Lord Jagannath and His Siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were adorned with 208 kg gold ornaments during the 'Suna Besha' ritual on chariots Sunday, an integral part of the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri. The devotees can have 'darshan' of the deities from 6.30 pm to 11 pm, said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). According to temple sources, the deities adorn around 30 different designs of ornaments which include gold, diamond, silver and other precious metals. "Initially, around 138 designs of ornaments were used during the era of King Kapilendra Deb in 146 ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The special intensive revision of electoral roll in Bihar, and eventually rest of India, will not only exclude people added as electors after 2003-04 on grounds of non-submission of documents to prove Indian citizenship, but also migrants who avoid being registered as electors in the constituency where they are ordinarily residents, only to retain their vote in their "native" place and state or where they own a house. "For example, if you ordinarily reside in Delhi but own a house in Patna, your vote should be registered in Delhi," CEC Gyanesh Kumar told TOI.It is a common practice ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha has moved the Supreme Court challenging an Election Commission's order directing for special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has also approached the apex court against the EC's order. Also Read | PM Modi Narendra Highlights Pahalgam Terror Attack at BRICS Summit 2025, Says Condemning Terrorism Should Be Our 'Principle', Not Just 'Convenience'. In his plea filed through advocate Fauzia Shakil, Jha said EC's June 24 order be quashed for being violative of Articles 14, 21, 325 and ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 30 (PTI) Amid protests by opposition parties, the Election Commission on Monday said the special intensive revision is needed as the electoral roll keeps changing due to a variety of reasons and the Constitution mandates it to ensure that only eligible citizens are part of the voters' list and those not, do not get to vote. Several opposition parties have said that the intensive revision carries the risk of willful exclusion of voters using the state machinery. In a statement, the poll panel said the revision of electoral rolls is must as it is a dynamic list which keeps chang ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): Noting that the Election Commission 'undermined' the basis of the democratic system in the last six months, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh accused that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the poll body will 'destroy' the country's democracy. Ramesh, who is also Congress' General Secretary in charge of Communications, drew a parallel between the demonetisation in 2016 and SIR by the Election Commission, stating that the PM's 'notebandi' destroyed our economy and the ECI's 'VOTE-Bandi', as reflected in the SIR, will destroy our democracy. In a post on X, Ramesh ...Read More >
Patna: The Congress on Thursday accused the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise nearly 20% of voters in Bihar under the garb of the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar claimed that the EC had made up its mind to deny voting rights to large sections of the population, especially migrant workers who stay outside the state under compulsion but return home during elections to cast their votes."It seems the EC has already made up its mind to deny voting rights to Bihar people," he said, ...Read More >
Upendra Kushwaha, RLM leader and NDA ally, voiced concerns about the ECI's SIR exercise in Bihar, emphasizing the need to ensure no genuine voter is excluded. He suggested the ECI should have started the revision earlier, given the large population and migrant worker base. Kushwaha highlighted fears among migrant voters and those lacking required documents about potential voter list exclusion.Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) leader and NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha on Friday raised concerns regarding the S ...Read More >
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.He raised doubts over why this ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 4 (ANI): Independent MP from Bihar's Purnia, Pappu Yadav, on Friday accused the Election Commission (EC) of trying to disenfranchise poor, Dalit, and migrant workers through its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Speaking to ANI, Yadav alleged that the EC is demanding proof of citizenship dating back to before 1987, documents he claims most Dalits, Adivasis and migrant labourers do not possess. 'Are we not Indians? Are we from Nepal or Bangladesh? You released all the lists six months ago--what's the point now, after 22 years ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 6: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India (ECI) decision to order Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, apprehending that such a second revision of the voters list could be replicated in West Bengal. In her petition, filed through advocate Neha Rathi, Moitra claimed that she has information that the "said (SIR) exercise is stated to be replicated in West Bengal from August 2025 for which instructions have already been given to EROs". Bihar Electoral Roll Revision Row: P ...Read More >
Kolkata: BJP MLA and leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Sunday welcomed the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, where assembly polls are due later this year, and said such an exercise should also be conducted in the Trinamool Congress-ruled state. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued instructions to carry out the exercise in Bihar to weed out ineligible names and ensure that all eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll, allowing them to exercise their franchise in the polls. "This is a good step, and there will ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday inaugurated the 11th edition of the India Maize Summit, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with (IIMR) Indian Institute of Maize Research. Speaking at event, Chouhan emphasized that 'Farmers' sewa is our mool mantra,' reaffirming the government's commitment to farmer-centric policies. He outlined a multi-pronged strategy to boost maize production, and increase farmer incomes, while ensuring environme ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 9 (ANI): Following the violent protest at Kerala University, a case has been registered against 27 activists of the ruling CPM's Students Federation of India (SFI), including its state secretary P S Sanjeev, who has been named the prime accused, police said. The case also names 1,000 identifiable protesters who have been accused of damaging public property, forcibly entering the university campus, and assaulting police and university staff, police said on Tuesday. Also Read | Nobel Peace Prize 2025: From Mahatma Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru, Check Full ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jul 6 (PTI) TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Sunday alleged that ECI's order for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was intended to deprive the bonafide young electorate from voting in this year's polling, and the panel's next target would be West Bengal. Moitra, who has moved the Supreme Court challenging the order of the ECI, alleged that it violates several provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of People (RP) Act, 1950. Also Read | No Change in Instructions for 'Special Intensive Revision' in Bihar, Says Election Commission After Advertisement Lead ...Read More >
New Delhi/Patna, Jul 6 (PTI) The controversy over special intensive revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar intensified as Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, RJD's Manoj Jha and several NGOs moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the Election Commission's order, which they claimed violated the Constitution. The Election Commission (EC) issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that it has not changed its instructions on the revision process, after several social media posts, including one by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, cited an advertisement by the election body publish ...Read More >
In my Parliament speech on February 3, and in a subsequent press conference, I had expressed my disquiet about the conduct of the November 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections. I have doubted the fairness of Indian elections, not every time, not everywhere, but often enough. I am not talking of small-scale cheating, but of industrial-scale rigging involving the capture of our national institutions. But if some earlier election outcomes seemed odd, the outcome of the 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sa ...Read More >
Digvijaya Singh, a senior Congress leader, has threatened legal action by the INDIA bloc if the Election Commission of India (ECI) doesn't address their concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Singh alleges the NDA government is attempting to disenfranchise marginalized voters ahead of the state elections through this drive.Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday said all constituents of INDIA bloc may knock the door of judiciary against the o ...Read More >
Bihar Elections 2025: The Election Commission is revising voter rolls, starting in Bihar. Form 6, used for voter registration, requires no citizenship proof. Aadhaar is accepted for age and residence but not citizenship. Special Intensive Revision aims to remove ineligible voters. Political opposition arises over document exclusion. Concerns exist about non-citizens on voter lists due to lax verification. Ahead of the Bihar Elections 2025, the Election Commission's (EC) nationwide intensive revision of electoral rolls has reignited a longstanding political and administrative debate: how did n ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Congress has signalled that party leader Rahul Gandhi is in no hurry to accept the Election Commission brass' invitation to him to have a discussion on the merit of his often repeated allegation of irregularity in the conduct of Maharashtra and Haryana elections. After party president Mallikarjun Kharge chose to be non-committal on Gandhi accepting the EC invite, the Congress leadership once again wrote to the poll body, reiterating its demand for a copy of the electoral roll and C ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Election Commission will soon upload the 2003 Bihar electoral roll on its website to facilitate the nearly 4.96 crore voters whose names figure on it to extract the relevant portion to be attached with the enumeration form for the special intensive revision of the voters' list. According to the instructions issued by the poll authority to its Bihar poll machinery, the 4.96 crore voters -- 60 per cent of the total electors -- who were listed in the 2003 special intensive revision need not submit any supporting document to establish their date or place or birth except the relevan ...Read More >
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Bengaluru Crime: A woman's body, believed to be between 30 and 35 years old, was found stuffed inside a sack and dumped in a garbage truck in Bengaluru early Thursday. The identity of the woman is yet to be confirmed. Police said the sack was discovered by BBMP sanitation workers who immediately alerted the authorities. The body was found with her hands and neck tied, raising strong suspicion of murder. Officials stated that the body had been placed inside a gunny bag before being thrown into the garbage vehicle. Joint Commissioner of Police, C Vamsi Krishna, confirmed that the body has been ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 2: Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and raised concerns over its timing, alleging that over two crore voters of the state may be disenfranchised by this mammoth exercise being done just ahead of assembly elections. Leaders from 11 parties, including the Congress, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, NCP-SP and the Samajwadi Party, put forth their objections before Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other election commissioners to the special scrutiny of the voters' ...Read More >
The Election Commission of India reports that nearly 87% of Bihar's 7.96 crore voters have received semi-filled enumeration forms for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Distributed during the first BLO visit to 1.5 crore households, nearly 38 lakh forms have already been collected. The EC emphasizes 'Inclusion First,' with 1.Nearly 87 per cent of the 7.96 crore voters in Bihar have been provided with semi-filled enumeration forms for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of ...Read More >