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: A global delegation will witness polling of the upcoming Assembly polls in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry, which is scheduled to be held in a single phase on April 9. The 43 delegates from 23 countries will visit Assam, Kerala and Puducherry under the International Election Visitor's Programme (IEVP), 2026. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners (ECs) Dr SS Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, inaugurated the IEVP, 2026 programme at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), here on Tuesday. In his inaugural address, Kumar said that the ECI takes elections in India as festivals of democracy and works towards ensuring it in a mission mode. He also called upon the participants to enjoy the visit to the states, learn, see and experience the diversity of India. In the first phase, the delegates of the Programme will visit Assam, Kerala and Puducherry April 8-9. In the second phase, the delegates will visit the states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu from April 20 onwards.
New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that both Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are unlikely to respond to the party's recent questions concerning BJP's Puducherry President and Raj Bhavan constituency candidate VP Ramalingam and Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) chief Jose Charles Martin hosting a Sri Lankan diplomat in Puducherry. Replying to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera's post on X, Ramesh wrote, "The answers to your three questions are self-evident: 1. He will not, 2. He will not, 3. Yes, both will remai ...Read More >
Kolkata: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, on Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of an Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed polls observer for the forthcoming two-phase Assembly election in West Bengal later this month, as the observer concerned did not have the practical knowledge about the polling booth network in the area for which he was appointed by the Commission. The lack of knowledge of the poll observer, Anurag Yadav, the general observer for Cooch Behar (Dakshin) Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar district, was revealed at a virtual meeting chaired by ...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 >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 28 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee reiterated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was a way to exclude voters from the voting list and deprive them of their voting rights. He said that if the voting rights of genuine voters are snatched in West Bengal then one lakh people will gherao the office of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Abhishek Banerjee said, "Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal in the mid ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 7 (ANI): The Election Commission of India commenced the International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP), 2026, for the forthcoming general elections to the legislative assemblies of Assam, Kerala and Puducherry in New Delhi today. According to the Election Commission, the programme was inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Man ...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 >
New Delhi [India], April 7 (ANI): The Election Commission of India commenced the International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP), 2026, for the forthcoming general elections to the legislative assemblies of Assam, Kerala and Puducherry in New Delhi today. According to the Election Commission, the programme was inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIDEM). CEC Gyanesh Kumar, in his inaugural address, said that the ECI takes elections in ...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 | Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission's voters' list cleanup exercise, will commence in nine states and three Union territories from Tuesday. SIR in these states and Union territories with 51 crore voters will conclude on February 7, 2026, with the publication of the final electoral roll. After Bihar, this is the second round of SIR. The state's final voter list with nearly 7.42 crore names was published on September 30. The 12 states and Union territories where the second round of SIR will be conducted are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhatt ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 9 (ANI): Highlighting the global resonance of India's electoral process, foreign delegates participating in the International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP) visited multiple polling stations across Keralam, including Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, to witness the ongoing Assembly Elections in the State. The delegation, comprising representatives from various nations, lauded the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the "large-scale and meticulous" arrangements, describing the voting process as a true "Festival of Democracy." Seychelles High Comm ...Read More >
IEVP-2026 was inaugurated a day ago by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The visit aims to provide international observers with an opportunity to witness and understand India's electoral processes. After arriving in the state, the delegation got divided into three groups, with each visiting distribution centres and control rooms across Kamrup Metropolitan and Kamrup districts to observe ground-level election preparedness. They later visited the Webcasting Monitoring Centre located with ...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 >
According to an ECI press note issued on August 8, 2025, the Commission had revised the food and refreshment allowance for polling personnel from ₹150 per head to ₹500, the first such increase since 2016. However, the April 3, 2026 directive from the West Bengal CEO, signed by the Joint Chief Electoral Officer and addressed to the Accountant General (A&E), West Bengal, fixes the meal entitlement at ₹170 per head. It further states that if a packed meal cannot be arranged, a cash payment of ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 4 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Saturday, to further facilitate Voter convenience in the forthcoming Assembly Elections in West Bengal, has approved the creation of 4660 auxiliary polling stations where the number of voters exceeded 1200. ECI has also approved the shifting of 321 polling stations for the convenience of the voters. Including auxiliary polling stations, there are now a total of 85,379 polling stations in West Bengal. Also Read | Shashi Tharoor Reacts After Malappuram Attack, Says He Is Safe, Security Guard Also Well Afte ...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 >
Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Saturday, approved the creation of 4,660 auxiliary polling stations to enhance voter convenience in the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal. These have been set up in areas where the number of voters exceeded 1,200. The ECI has also approved the shifting of 321 polling stations for voter convenience. With the addition of auxiliary polling stations, the total number of polling stations in the state now stands at 85,379. ECI Secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra, in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, stated that i ...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 >
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 >
Gyanesh Kumar further added that Aadhaar Card is not a proof of date of birth or domicile.Source : jorono/Pixabay Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday announced that the Election Commission will undertake a pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in 12 states and union territories. "...The voter lists in all states undergoing SIR will be frozen at 12 am tonight. BLOs will distribute Unique Enumeration Forms to all voters on these lists. These forms will contain ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) 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 extract the relevant portion to be attached with the enumeration form for the special intensive revision of the voters' list. As opposition parties questioned the revision exercise, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told PTI on Sunday that the purpose is to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of the electoral rolls and no ineligible person is a part of it. Several opposition parties have said that the ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Oct 27: 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 due i ...Read More >
Delhi/Hyderabad, Nov 4 (Maxim News) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a nationwide voters' list clean-up drive, across nine states and three Union Territories (UTs) from Tuesday. Here To Join Us On WhatsApp The large-scale electoral roll revision aims to ensure greater accuracy, transparency, and legitimacy in the country's voter database ahead of upcoming elections. The SIR 2.0 exercise comes just two days before the first phase of the Bihar Assembly polls, where a similar revision was recently carried out. Here T ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: In a precursor to ordering a pan-india special revision of electoral roll (SIR), EC on Wednesday met the chief electoral officers (CEOs) of all states and UTs to assess their preparedness in terms of records of the last intensive revision and the status of current voter's list, besides hearing their suggestions on the state/UT-specific documents that may be accepted to prove one's eligibility for inclusion in the roll.EC is likely to order a pan-India SIR soon, possibly later this mont ...Read More >
After the announcement of SIR in Bengal on Monday by ECI, an all-party meeting has been called by the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's (WB- CEO) office on Tuesday at 4PM, where all national and state-level political parties will be participating. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leadership said that they will abide by the Constitution and there is no place for violence. However, they will not allow a single legal voter's name to be deleted from the electoral list and take the movement to Delhi ...Read More >
Purnea (Bihar) [India], October 27 (ANI: Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Monday took a swipe at the BJP-led central government over the EC's announcement of the 2nd phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories. He said that no matter what the BJP does, once the public turns against a party, it cannot be saved. "SIR was done in Bihar. What difference did it make? Was anyone's name struck off? A few people did face difficulties. BJP can try all it wants, but they might want to delete someone's name, scare someone and bother someone. B ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 28 (ANI): After the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced to conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Trinamool Congress leader and State Minister Shashi Panja said that her party would fight within the purview of the Constitution and law if the voting right of any genuine voter is snatched. Speaking to reporters, Shashi Panja said, "On behalf of the party let me make it clear, our leadership on block and district levels are not going to walk the ...Read More >
New Delhi, April 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Rising equestrian talent Stasya Pandya from Mumbai delivered an outstanding performance at the Delhi Horse Show 2026, securing two team medals in the prestigious Young Champion category. Competing against a field of over 200 equestrians across multiple categories, Stasya demonstrated exceptional skill across disciplines. In Dressage, she rode Consul, earning a Team Silver medal with a composed and technically refined performance. Building on this success, she went on to secure a Team Bronze medal in Show Jumping astride Cougar De Fees. Navigating a challen ...Read More >