EC declares five Assembly bypolls across four states
In Gujarat, the bypoll to the Kadi seat was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Karsanbhai Punjabhai Solanki. Another bypoll to the Visavadar seat in the state is taking place due to the resignation of sitting member Bhayani Bhupendrabhai. The byelection to the Visavadar seat is likely to be a triangular contest, with the AAP already announcing its candidate and Congress stating that it would go solo in the bypoll.
In Kerala, the byelection will be held in Nilambur to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of PV Anvar, an LDF-backed MLA, in January this year. He was appointed convenor of the Kerala unit of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The ruling Left Democratic Front and Opposition UDF in Kerala are working overtime to fix their candidates for the seat.
Further, in Punjab, the byelection will be held in Ludhiana West as the seat fell vacant because of the demise of Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. Likewise, the byelection to the Kaliganj Assembly seat in West Bengal has been necessitated due to the death of sitting Assembly member Nasiruddin Ahamed. He died of a cardiac arrest in February this year.
Earlier, on May 23, in line with various initiatives aimed at enhancing voter initiative and streamlining poll day arrangements, the ECI had issued two more comprehensive instructions for providing mobile deposit facilities for voters outside the polling stations and rationalising norms for canvassing, according to an official statement.
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
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The Congress on Saturday criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, alleging that the drive is a 'deliberate conspiracy' to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. The Congress also criticised the rising crime rate in Bihar. (Representational image) The party also questioned the documentation process required under the exercise, arguing that the timeline of 25 days given to complete such an extensive verification exercise is unrealistic. 'The way Aadhaar cards were made, it seemed to be an important document. Now, we cannot vote by showing the same Aadhaar card. The type of documents asked (by the Election Commission of India), it is possible that I may get ousted from the electoral roll in the SIR,' said Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh at a press conference in New Delhi. The Election Commission of India had announced the SIR in Bihar on June 24, citing the need to update the electoral roll due to factors like rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, rising numbers of first-time voters, non-reporting of deaths and concerns about 'foreign illegal immigrants'. The drive involves the collection of enumeration forms from around 79 million electors by July 25. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 1 and the final roll on September 30 after scrutiny. The Congress MP also criticised the rising crime rate in Bihar, claiming that such incidents escalate whenever chief minister Nitish Kumar aligns with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 'There was a time when the whole of Bihar was known as a land of peace, harmony, knowledge, and penance, but today, the bullets of goons are spewing fire here. On one hand, the ADG Law and Order says that the increasing attacks on police are a matter of concern. On the other hand, criminals fired bullets near the residence of Tejashwi Yadav ji in Patna, who are still at large,' he said. Presenting data to support his claims, Singh said that Patna alone had reported 116 murders and 41 rape cases this year. 'In 151 days, 1,297 attacks on police were reported, according to official data,' he said. He referred to the murder of a prominent businessman Gopal Khemka, who was shot dead on July 4 near a hotel in Patna. 'Yesterday, a prominent businessman, Gopal Khemka, was murdered in Bihar. A few years ago, his son was also killed. This is a matter of great concern,' Singh said. He further said, 'During the 17 years of NDA rule, more than 53,000 murder cases have been registered. In terms of attempted murders, Bihar is second in the country with a total of 98,169 incidents recorded, which is a 262% increase.' He added that more than 2.2 lakh women have been victims of crime during this period, with a reported 336% rise in crimes against women. 'Murders are happening daily in almost all districts of Bihar, but the government seems unaffected by it. The government has left the people of Bihar to fend for themselves. Whenever there is an alliance between Nitish Kumar and BJP in Bihar, crimes like murder and rape increase in the state,' Singh alleged. He demanded the governor's intervention and called for a two-day special session in the state assembly to discuss both the spike in criminal activities and the alleged conspiracy behind the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Satheesan calls for Minister's resignation citing crisis in Kerala's health sector
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Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Voter roll updates before polls are legal requirement: CEC Gyanesh Kumar
As opposition parties continue to question the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar clarified on Saturday that updating the voter list before every election is a standard legal process. Addressing reporters, Kumar said that the voter list must be updated ahead of every election, as per the law. He explained that such detailed revisions had not been carried out since January 1, 2003. "As part of the law, before every election, the voter list needs to be updated. A detailed investigation of the voter list and all voter details was not conducted after January 1, 2003. This is supposed to be a general practice," he said. The CEC also noted that opposition parties themselves had previously raised concerns about inaccuracies in the voter rolls. "Nearly every political party complained about issues in the authenticity of the voter list, and demanded updates. More than 100,000 booth-level officers are working on it with the support of all political parties. No ineligible person will be able to make it into this list," Kumar added. Bihar polls: Special Intensive Revision The SIR is a targeted effort by the Election Commission of India to verify and clean the voter list before elections, aiming to ensure its accuracy and legitimacy. However, opposition parties have raised questions over the exercise. Congress leader Sachin Pilot, speaking in Rajasthan's Dausa, voiced doubts about the SIR process and accused the Election Commission of acting in haste. "The haste with which the Election Commission has taken this step raises significant doubts, and a group of opposition parties met them and asked questions, but no satisfactory answers were received," Pilot said. Fears of voter disenfranchisement Several opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), fear that the revision process may be used to exclude legitimate voters, particularly those from underprivileged and marginalised communities. In response, the Election Commission maintained that the revision exercise is being conducted in full accordance with Article 326 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The Commission added that the goal is to remove ineligible entries without leaving out any genuine voter.
