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.
New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday announced that the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will begin on Tuesday across 12 States and Union Territories -- Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep. Kumar said the decision follows the successful completion of the first phase in Bihar, which covered over 90,000 polling booths with "zero appeals." "The participation of voters in Bihar has been exemplary and sets a benchmark for other states," he added. The CEC announced that voter lists in all participating states will be frozen at midnight tonight, after which Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will begin door-to-door verification. Each household will receive a Unique Enumeration Form pre-filled with existing voter details, allowing citizens to verify or update their information. Kumar explained that voters can also check their details against 2002-2004 SIR records on voters.eci.gov.in. If a voter's name or their parents' name appears in the 2003 rolls, no additional documents will be required. Training for polling officials will start Tuesday to prepare for the extensive verification drive. "BLOs will visit every household three times, and migrated voters can also submit forms online," Kumar said. The Election Commission has directed state-level officials to brief political parties on the SIR process within two days to ensure transparency. Kumar said the exercise aims to address long-standing concerns raised by political parties about duplicate entries, unremoved deceased voters, and wrongful inclusions. Marking the ninth SIR since Independence, this phase aims to replicate the "Bihar model" across the country, ensuring clean, inclusive, and error-free voter rolls.
New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Every week in 2023, Delhi reported nearly 88 new cases of economic offences on an average, adding up to 4,586 in the year, which was highest among Union territories, according to the latest NCRB data. The picture that emerges is one of a city grappling with a wide range of financial crimes, from everyday scams to high-value frauds running into crores of rupees. Of the total cases in the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) data for the UT, about 93 per cent (4,286 cases) were filed under forgery, cheating and fraud. Another 262 cases were linked to criminal breach o ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to finalize their preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in their respective States and Union Territories (UTs). The poll panel issued the directives on the concluding day of the two-day conference of the CEOs at the India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM) here. The conference was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. During the confe ...Read More >
The voter list of all those states where SIR will be done will be frozen at 12 am tonight. All voters on that list will be given Unique Enumeration Forms by the BLOs. These forms will have all the necessary details from the current voter list, says Kumar. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced to carry out pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list, with 12 states and union territories to be covered in phase one. While addressing a press conference, Chief Ele ...Read More >
Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the third edition of Nayi Chetna - Pahal Badlaav Ki, a national campaign against gender-based violence, at Rang Bhawan Auditorium, New Delhi yesterday. Delivering his address, Shri Chouhan stated that the Government has taken a slew of initiatives for women's economic and social development. He stressed that gender-based violence is not an issue that persists in rural areas, but in urban areas as well. He said with the presence of Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smt. Annpurn ...Read More >
New Delhi, December 15: The 'One Nation, One Election' Bill, officially known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, will not be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Revised Business List of the Lower House for the day does not mention the Bill. The first list had scheduled the Bill for Monday. It mentioned, "... Arjun Ram Meghwal to move for leave to introduce a Bill further to amend the Constitution of India. Also to introduce the Bill." One Nation, One Election: Union Cabinet Approves Bills for Simultaneous Lok Sabha, State Assembly Elections, Say Source ...Read More >
India has experienced 9% above-average rainfall this monsoon, though unevenly distributed, leading to floods in some states while others await adequate rain. Jharkhand and Rajasthan saw significantly higher rainfall, while several states experienced normal levels. Despite this, floods have impacted regions like Assam, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka, with Himachal Pradesh suffering the most casualties. India has seen 9% more rain than normal this monsoon season, but it hasn't fallen evenly acros ...Read More >
The tranquil waters of Dal Lake are going to witness a major splash and bouts of amusement as Khelo India Water Games-2025 will begin from Thursday - a first in the Himalayan region. More than 800 athletes and officials from 28 states and eight Union territories are converging in summer capital to participate in events like rowing, canoeing and kayaking. The water sports national festival also features demonstration events like water skiing, dragon boat and Shikara race. The three-day event, be ...Read More >
New Delhi: Cyber crimes have shown a staggering 31 percent increase in 2023, with 86,420 cases registered in the year, compared to 65,983 cases in 2022, according to the latest report from the National Crime Records Bureau. The crime rate, which measures the number of crimes per lakh population, increased from 4.8 in 2022 to 6.2 in 2023, it said. Defrauding gullible victims was a primary motive of the cyber criminals, with 68.9 percent of them driven by the desire to scam their victims in 59,526 such cases, followed by sexual exploitation in 4,199 cases and extortion in 3,326 being the motiv ...Read More >
New Delhi: Delhi recorded the highest number of suicides -- 3,131 -- among 53 major Indian cities, accounting for 12% of the total suicides, as per the latest NCRB data for the year 2023. The national capital was followed by Bengaluru (2,370 suicides) and Mumbai (1,415).Among those who died by suicide were 2,295 men and 836 women. In nearly one-third of the cases, the cause of suicide was noted as 'family problems', leading to 954 deaths.As many as 69 of the 254 illness-related suicides were due ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India has instructed all the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the states and the Union Territories to finalise their preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in their respective states/UTs at the earliest and report back to it, officials said on Thursday. The instructions were passed on to them during a two-day conference of the CEOs here, which concluded on Thursday, and during the course of discussions, the presentations were given by senior officers of the ECI on the SIR process, as the CEOs raised several queries, which were clarified, ...Read More >
The Election Commission of India on Monday said it will conduct the second phase of the electoral roll revision in 12 states and union territories. In this pan-India special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, which will begin from Tuesday (October 28), three states and one UT - Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry - will go to polls next year while three states - Goa, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh - will have elections in 2027. The Election Commission (EC) said the SIR exercise in these ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) The Election Commission will conduct phase two of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories between November and February, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced on Monday. The states and Union Territories are: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026. Kumar clarified that in Assam, where polls are also ...Read More >
Nagpur: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday claimed the Centre's move to introduce a bill on simultaneous polls in the Lok Sabha was an attempt to divert attention from issues plaguing the country. Addressing reporters in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, Thackeray demanded a transparent election process before implementation of the 'One Nation One Election' proposal. Even the election commissioners should be elected through polls, the former state chief minister said but did not elaborate on how to go about it. Thackeray also said that the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government ...Read More >
Panchkula (Haryana) [India], December 17 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini on Tuesday welcomed the 'One Nation, One Election' bill stating that One Nation One Election will create a balance between speed of work and finances. He also dismissed opposition protests over the bill saying that Congress opposes every good initiative, that's their only agenda. Speaking to mediapersons, the Haryana Chief Minister said, "Continuous elections cost a lot and slow down development and progress. One Nation One Election will create a balance between speed of work and finances. This bill should be ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): Congress leader Rashid Alvi, in view of the second phase of Special Intensive Revision in all 12 States and Union Territories, questioned why the Election Commission of India is rushing to conduct the SIR. He stressed that the ECI plans to implement the SIR during the Bihar elections and alleged that the Centre is involved with the ECI in doing so. "The biggest question is, why is the Election Commission in a hurry to conduct the SIR at a time when elections are underway in a big state like Bihar? Can they not start the SIR after 14 November?... They want ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved bills to implement 'One Nation, One Election', and the draft legislations are likely to be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing Winter session, sources said. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government is keen on holding wider consultations on bills which are likely to be referred to a parliamentary committee. Sources said the government was also keen to consult the Speakers of various state legislative assemblies through the committee. Moving ahead with it ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Ravada A Chandrasekhar took charge as the new State Police Chief on Tuesday. He succeeds Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who retired on June 30. His tenure will run until July 1, 2027. A 1991-batch IPS officer currently serving as Special Director with the Intelligence Bureau, Chandrasekhar is on central deputation. He was selected over Nitin Agarwal, who topped the official list of probables. The appointment order, issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak on behalf of the Governor, was released soon after a cabinet meeting held on Monday. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Godav ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): Paying rich tribute to Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, the world-renowned physician and doyen of medical academics, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday invoked Dr B C Roy's legacy to emphasise the importance of restoring doctor-patient trust which was the hallmark of Dr Roy's era in the first half of the 20th century, Ministry of Science & Technology said. Dr Jitendra Singh, as the Chief Guest, was speaking at the Doctors' Day celebration organised by the national body of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) here. Also Read | Bihar Assembly Elections 2025: Pra ...Read More >
Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 14 (ANI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday emphasised that women-led development, anchored in the empowerment of women and the welfare of children, forms the foundation of India vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Inaugurating the first-ever National Conference of the Committees on Empowerment of Women of Parliament and State/UT Legislatures in Tirupati, Birla expressed his view. He said that India will become an inclusive and developed nation only when daughters are educated and self-reliant. The two-day conference is being attended by representa ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Oct 25: The Election Commission is likely to roll out the first of pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list next week beginning with "10 to 15 states", including those going to polls next year, officials said Saturday. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal will to polls in 2026 and they are amongst the States where the voters' list cleanup exercise will begin first. The poll authority is likely to announce the first phase of SIR middle of next week, in which as many as "10 to 15 states" would be incl ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], October 27 (ANI): Congress leader Pramod Tiwari on Monday questioned the Election Commission of India's (ECI) announcement for the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in 12 States and Union Territories, asking for the number of "infiltrators" removed from the electoral roll in the first phase in Bihar. Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said, "From the Home Minister to the Prime Minister, they were talking about infiltrators, but did the Election Commission say how many infiltrators they removed (during SIR in Bihar)? Now they could have shared figures on this." Whil ...Read More >
PUDUCHERRY: With the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) heavy rain forecast for Puducherry, the UT government has ramped up its preparedness to mitigate the impact, including uninterrupted electricity and drinking water supplies, evacuating residents from low-lying areas, and setting up relief camps. Puducherry experienced 7.69 cm of rainfall Karaikal received 9.6 cm of rainfall in the past 24 hours. After visiting several areas in the UT to assess the situation, Chief Minister N Rangasamy convened an emergency meeting with Public Works Minister Lakshminarayanan, Collector A Kulothungan ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 5 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may soon appoint a new national president, as the party has completed the process of appointing the required number of state presidents in accordance with its constitution. Since the conclusion of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, internal discussions have been underway regarding several potential candidates for the top organisational post. The current BJP president, JP Nadda, officially completed his term in January 2023, but it was extended until June 2024 in view of the general elections. His term has since been extended again, ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) A special dedicated web portal will be launched for self-enumeration during the upcoming Census, which will be available for both phases of the national enumeration exercise, officials said Monday. In the country's first digital census, enumerators will collect the data of citizens using mobile applications on their Android and Apple phones, they said. It will also be the first time in the country that citizens will get a chance to self-enumerate through a dedicated web portal which will be available for both the phases of Census - Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO) ...Read More >
Rajeev Verma has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Delhi (File) Senior IAS officer Rajeev Verma has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Delhi, a move cleared by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. A 1992-batch officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, Rajeev Verma will take charge on October 1, succeeding Dharmendra, who retires at the end of September. From IIT to Top Bureaucrat of Delhi Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Rajeev Verma's academ ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notification on Sunday appointing IAS officer Rajeev Verma as the new Chief Secretary of Delhi. Verma, a 1992-AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre IAS officer, will replace incumbent Chief Secretary Dharmendra, a 1989-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre who will retire on September 30. Verma will take charge on October 1. Before being appointed as the Chief Secretary of the government of NCT Delhi, he has been serving as the Chandigarh Chief Secretary for the past one year. Earlier, he also served as the Chief Sec ...Read More >
East Midnapore (West Bengal) [India], October 28 (ANI): The Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that West Bengal might face President's rule if the voter list and the elections are not carried out in time here as several leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress continue to oppose the Special Intensive Revision exercise in West Bengal. "If a government isn't formed by 5 May, then President's rule will automatically be imposed in West Bengal. Preparing the voter list on time is their responsibility, not ours. As the opposition, the rush isn't ours; ...Read More >
Birla says working days in Assemblies as well as Parliament is 'matter of concern' The Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly has proposed a "no work, no pay" rule for members of all state legislatures. Chintakayala Ayyannapatrudu was speaking on Sunday at an event in Tirupati where Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was present. The first 'National Conference of Parliamentary and Legislative Committees on Empowerment of Women', inaugurated by Birla, drew MPs and MLAs from across India to the temple to ...Read More >
Fishing activities in Thoothukudi have been suspended due to a cyclone alert issued by the IMD, with fishermen advised to stay ashore. A low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify, bringing strong winds and rough seas. Coastal residents are urged to avoid the seashore and monitor weather updates. Fishing activities in Thoothukudi have been suspended as authorities issued a cyclone alert, with fishermen advised to remain safely on shore. According to the latest warning issue ...Read More >
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that when the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that the bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions. Shah said, "When the One Nation, One Election Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, PM Modi had said that it should be sent to the JPC for detailed discussion. If the Law Minister is willing to send the bill to JPC, the discussion on its introduction can end." Proposal Made By Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal Supp ...Read More >