logo
Rajasthan Congress decides to not ally with BAP for panchayat polls

Rajasthan Congress decides to not ally with BAP for panchayat polls

The Hindu18 hours ago
The Opposition Congress in Rajasthan has started preparations for the local body and panchayat elections. In a coordination committee meeting held on July 5, the party has decided to contest the polls 'on its own' and not enter into an alliance with the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) in the tribal-dominated Vagad region, unlike in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Founded in 2023 by Rajkumar Roat ahead of the State Assembly election, BAP emerged victorious in three seats in the Assembly poll that year and won one seat in the by-election in 2024, taking its tally in the Assembly to four. Concerned about the inroads made by BAP in the region, the Congress is now promoting its own Other Backward Class (OBC) leaders in its organisational activities.
'The Congress is strengthening [its] organisation in the Vagad region. The leaders and party workers who wish to come back after leaving [the party] will need to explain why they had deserted the Congress,' said AICC State in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra said the booth-level agents would be appointed within a week to monitor the voter list revision.
Congress has also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of deliberately delaying the polls.
Mr. Dotasra on Monday said that the State government had appointed the OBC Commission after 18 months in office to meet the Supreme Court-mandated condition for a survey before giving reservation in the municipal elections. 'The pending OBC report will be used as an excuse to postpone the polls,' he said.
The party plans to launch protests across the State over the BJP's alleged misuse of constitutional provisions.
AICC co-incharges Ritvik Makwana and Chiranjeevi Rao, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Tika Ram Jully, and other State leaders also attended the strategy meeting.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The ECI does not have unfettered powers
The ECI does not have unfettered powers

The Hindu

time41 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

The ECI does not have unfettered powers

The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, which will be facing Assembly elections in November. Political parties in the Opposition have alleged that the SIR is aimed at disenfranchising thousands of voters in Bihar by disqualifying them on the ground that they are not citizens of India. The ECI has denied this allegation and justified the revision. In the meantime, many petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the ECI's order. While the controversy centres on the motive behind this exercise being conducted just a couple of months before elections, especially when electoral rolls were revised in 2024, this article focuses on the legality of this exercise and the powers of the ECI to undertake it. Reasons for disqualification Article 326 of the Constitution declares that elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies shall be held on the basis of adult suffrage. This means every adult person is entitled to be a voter provided they are not disqualified on certain specified grounds. There are two essential qualifications of being an elector under this Article: the person should be citizen of India and should be aged not less than 18. The Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950, lays down disqualifications for registration as an elector. These are namely unsoundness of mind as declared by a competent court, and disqualification from voting as provided in Section 11A of the 1951 RPA. Conditions for registration as a voter are laid down in Section 19 of the RPA: the person should not be less than 18 years of age and they should be ordinarily resident in a constituency. The term 'ordinarily resident' is explained in Section 20, which says a person shall not be deemed to be ordinarily resident merely because they own or possess a dwelling house in that constituency. Also, a person does not cease to be ordinarily resident if they absent themselves temporarily from their ordinary place of residence. The ECI enjoys enormous powers in respect of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament, the State Legislatures, and to the offices of the President and Vice President. Article 324 of the Constitution, which empowers the ECI to undertake these tasks, is characterised by the Supreme Court as a 'reservoir of power'. Since the conduct of free and fair elections is an essential feature of the basic structure of the Constitution, the ECI needs to be vested with all the necessary powers to complete its task. Nevertheless, it is inconceivable that the Constitution should confer on any authority unfettered powers. The Supreme Court has made it clear that the ECI can exercise all powers in its discretion in areas which are not covered by any statute but shall act in accordance with the law wherever it exists. In Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election Commissioner (1978), the Court stated the law as follows: 'Firstly when Parliament or any State Legislature has made valid law relating to or in connection with elections, the Commission shall act in conformity with, not in violation of, such provisions but where such law is silent, Article 324 is a reservoir of power to act for the avowed purpose of pushing forward a free and fair election with expedition.' The qualifying date Let us look at the relevant provisions of the the RPA to get a perspective on the powers of the ECI in regard to revision of the electoral rolls. Section 21 of the 1950 RPA deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. It speaks of four stages of revisions: (1) before elections to the Lok Sabha or Assembly; (2) before each by-election; (3) on the direction of the ECI in any year; and (4) a special revision for a constituency or part of a constituency with the ECI recording reasons for doing so. All revisions except (4) are done with reference to a qualifying date, which, under Section 14, is the first day of January. The only exception is (4): no qualifying date is mentioned because it can be done any time. The ECI order of June 24 mentions the qualifying date as 01/07/2025 and is a direction under Section 21(2)(b) of the RPA. It can be assumed that the revision being done in Bihar is under the same Section. But under this provision, the qualifying date should be 01/01/2025. The revision then should have been done from January 1, 2025. The qualifying date mentioned in the ECI order has no sanction under the law. Similarly, the term 'special intensive revision' is not found in the law. The only case where a special revision can be ordered by the ECI at any time is in relation to a constituency or a part of it and not in relation to an entire State. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the SIR in Bihar is not in conformity with the provisions of the RPA. The ECI has claimed in its order that it has power under Section 21 to undertake the exercise. True, but that power is limited to a constituency or part of it under Section 21(3) of the Act. While enjoying enormous powers under Article 324, the ECI is responsible to the rule of law and should be amenable to the norms of natural justice as per the Supreme Court. Electoral registration officers cannot summarily reject applications on the ground that foolproof documents are not being furnished to prove citizenship. Rule 8 of the Registration of Electors Rules clearly state that information shall be furnished 'to the best of ability' of the citizens. The ECI cannot ignore this statutory stipulation.

Kangana ‘not taking her job seriously': Pratibha Singh
Kangana ‘not taking her job seriously': Pratibha Singh

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Kangana ‘not taking her job seriously': Pratibha Singh

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Pratibha Singh on Tuesday said the BJP MP from Mandi, , was "not taking her work seriously" and looking at the use of her language, the people of the Mandi parliamentary constituency were "regretting" electing her. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now After paying homage to her husband and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh on his fourth death anniversary at the party's state headquarters, along with various Congress leaders and workers, Pratibha Singh told the mediapersons that Kangana should have immediately come to the help of the disaster-hit people of her constituency and shared their grief. The Congress state president, who was elected to the Lok Sabha thrice from Mandi, said the MPs get Rs 5 crore per year as the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund (MPLAD) and Kangana could very well use these funds to help the disaster-affected people of her constituency. She said Kangana should take up the issue of the monsoon disaster in Parliament and also meet the Prime Minister to urge him for help. During her visit to the disaster-affected areas of Mandi district, Kangana had said she neither had cabinet post nor funds for the disaster relief. But, she added that she would request the PM and help in getting funds from the central govt.

CJI Gavai felicitated by Maharashtra Assembly, hailed as
CJI Gavai felicitated by Maharashtra Assembly, hailed as

India Gazette

timean hour ago

  • India Gazette

CJI Gavai felicitated by Maharashtra Assembly, hailed as

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 8 (ANI): Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was felicitated by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Monday in recognition of his appointment as the country's 51st Chief Justice. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hailed Gavai as a 'jewel of Maharashtra' and a symbol of justice for the marginalised. In his remarks at the event, Shinde said, 'He holds the highest position in the country--it's a joy, and he is a jewel of Maharashtra. He is the pinnacle of our nation's judicial system. He granted rights to Dalits, the oppressed and afflicted. When a true diamond falls, it shines wherever it lands.' Praising the judiciary's role in recent constitutional matters, Shinde referred to the Supreme Court's upholding of the revocation of Article 370, stating, 'Article 370 was removed by Amit Shah--many went to the Supreme Court, and in every judgment, a decision was delivered in accordance with social justice and the law. This will make the justice system even stronger.' CJI Gavai, on Saturday strongly supported the abrogation of Article 370, saying the abrogation was aligned with the ideology of Dr BR Ambedkar. Speaking at an event in Nagpur, CJI Gavai said, '... If the country wants to remain united, the country needs only one Constitution. A separate Constitution for a state was not in line with Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideology, so we unanimously accepted the decision (of abrogation of Article 370) taken by the Parliament, so that the country will be governed by only one constitution.' On August 5, 2019, the Centre decided to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and divide it into two Union Territories. 'Babasaheb Ambedkar was criticised for our Constitution being too centralised... Babasaheb had replied to that criticism by saying... 'We are giving the country a Constitution suitable for all challenges, and I can assure you that it will keep the country united in times of war and peace.' Today, we are seeing in our 75-year journey what the situation around us is. Whenever this country has faced any crisis, it has remained united...' he told ANI. On Friday, Chief Justice of India Gavai also emphasised the importance of the Indian Constitution, stating that it has 'defined the boundaries' of the three branches of government: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. CJI Gavai highlighted that lawmaking is the responsibility of the legislature and state assemblies, while the executive functions within the framework of the Constitution and the law. Addressing the issue of 'judicial activism,' the CJI asserted that it is necessary for 'upholding' the Constitution and rights of the citizens. 'Judicial Activism is bound to stay, and it is necessary for the upholding of the Constitution and the upholding of the rights of citizens. At the same time, I am of the view that the Indian Constitution has defined the boundaries of its three wings, whether it is the Legislature, the Executive, or the Judiciary. The work of making laws belongs to the Legislature, whether it is the Parliament or the various State Assemblies. It is expected that the Executive functions according to the Constitution and the law', CJI BR Gavai said while addressing an event in Nagpur on Friday. However, CJI Gavai opined that despite 'judicial activism' being bound to stay in the judicial system, it should not be allowed to be converted into judicial adventurism or judicial terrorism. 'If the Judiciary tries to interfere in the Executive and Legislative fields in every matter, then I always say, though Judicial Activism is bound to stay, it should not be permitted to be converted into Judicial Adventurism and Judicial Terrorism', BR Gavai said. The Chief Justice further stated that when a law is enacted beyond the authority of Parliament or a State Assembly, and it violates constitutional principles, it is imperative for the judiciary to step in. 'When any law is made beyond the authority of Parliament or the Assembly, and it breaches the constitutional principles at that time, the Judiciary can step in', he said. (ANI)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store