Abhishek to head to Delhi as TMC intensifies SIR stir
national general secretary
is expected to reach Delhi this week as the party intensifies its stir in Parliament, demanding an assurance from the Centre "on the floor of the House" that the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar will be discussed.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Trinamool Congress has been consistently opposing SIR, questioning Election Commission's powers to conduct citizenship checks and disenfranchise voters. The party has said SIR requirements mirror Section 3 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which makes the exercise "NRC in disguise."
Over the last week, the party has been hamstrung by the absence of its floor leaders in Lok Sabha. Trinamool's leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay and senior MP Saugata Roy are not in Delhi due to health reasons.
The party's chief whip in Lok Sabha, Kalyan Banerjee, is representing Bengal govt in cases and shuttling between Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court. On Friday, the party's deputy Lok Sabha leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar attended the all-party meeting convened by Speaker Om Birla.
Banerjee is likely to remain in Delhi and work on party strategy.
The Diamond Harbour MP, who was part of Centre's outreach abroad after Pahalgam attack, is also likely to be a keynote speaker if Operation Sindoor discussions take place in Parliament.
A senior MP said: "Trinamool is not opposed to discussions on Operation Sindoor. In fact, we want some answers. But this cannot be at the expense of SIR. Here we are talking of mass disenfranchisement of people who had voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha, based on arbitrary reasoning. We want a clear assurance from the Centre on the floor of the house that SIR will be discussed threadbare in Parliament."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
BLOs' refrain: Many still not able to file one of 11 documents needed
On Sunday, the Election Commission announced that volunteers will help electors obtain the official documents required to meet the submission deadline of September 1 in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. They have their task cut out. The Indian Express spoke to a dozen BLOs from across the state — including from the capital Patna, Samastipur in North Bihar, Purnea in the Seemanchal region, and Banka in South Bihar. After the month-long SIR exercise, their refrain: most of those who had to submit one of the 11 documents have not been able to do so. Consider: * A BLO from the Danapur Assembly constituency said: 'Out of 1,200 voters who submitted enumeration forms in my booth, 550 were in the 2003 voters' list. Of the remaining 650 voters, only about 60 people have submitted forms with one of the 11 documents, mainly Class 10, residential and caste certificates. There has been intense pressure on us to get documents from such electors who have only submitted forms.' She said the BLOs were still accepting forms from some people. 'We are told to accept them until Monday (July 28), as the first electoral draft would be published by August 1.' Asked if they had been asked to upload one of the 11 documents against the forms during the claims-and-objection phase between August 1 and September 1, she said: 'We have heard about it, but there is no clear instruction on how to go about it and what if we do not get any documents from voters in that period.' * A Banka Assembly seat BLO said: 'My booth has about 1,300 voters. Over 500 of them are in the 2003 list. Of the remaining electors, only 50 people have submitted forms along with one of 11 documents. As my uploaded documents' percentage is very poor, I was asked to get at least 20-30% in the column on 'status of mandated 11 documents'. I am marking an exaggerated number, assuming I would be able to get the required documents at a later stage. EROs (Electoral Registration Officers) perhaps want to show a good percentage.' In the 13-column form needed to be filled up by the BLOs before the publication of the first draft of rolls, there is a break-up of details on the 2003 list voters, post-2003 voters with details on documents, numbers of deceased, permanently shifted, and repeated voters. There is also a column on 'other documents'. The Banka BLO added that his booth had uploaded over 80% of enumeration forms, as a section of migrant voters, mainly permanently shifted, had not turned up to fill up their forms, online or offline. * A BLO from the Sarairanjan Assembly seat echoed similar views. 'My area is dominated by Dalits and EBCs (Extremely Backward Classes). Of 900 voters in my booth, only 400 are in the 2003 rolls. But, only 25 persons have submitted caste or residential certificates so far. Most of them don't have documents. Some have been waiting for residential certificates. I am even spending money from my pocket for getting photocopies of the 2003 roll entries for its voters,' he said. * A BLO from Purnea's Srinagar block said: 'It is very difficult to get forms attached with one of the 11 documents. My booth has about 1,000 voters, half of which were on the 2003 list. Despite my area having a better educational status, only 100 people have submitted either Class 10 Board or residential certificates.' He added, 'I doubt whether even one extra month's time to submit the mandated documents could change things much.' * A BLO in Balrampur block of Katihar said: 'Out of 990 electors in my polling booth, about 425 were on the 2003 list. Only about 150 people submitted forms with one of 11 documents, mostly Class 10 board certificates, including from the madarsa board, family registers and passports. About 85 people, either dead or permanently shifted were deleted from the list.' * In the Araria block of Araria district, a BLO said: 'My booth had 950 voters, including 450 on the 2003 list. About 250 people submitted forms with documents such as residential certificates, passports and land papers. About 220 submitted enumeration forms with other documents. Thirty people, dead or permanently shifted, were dropped from the list.' * A BLO from Kishanganj said: 'Out of about 1,100 voters in my booth, 550 are on the 2003 voters' list. About 250 people submitted their forms with one of 11 documents including Class 10 board certificates and passports. Only 36 voters, dead or permanently shifted, were deleted from the list.' * A BLO from Tarapur in Munger said: 'Out of 770 voters, 650 filled their forms with or without documents. About 220 were on the 2003 list, and 120 more submitted forms with one of the documents needed, mostly residential and Class 10 certificates. Thirty people, dead or permanently shifted, had to be dropped from the list for publication of the first draft.' * A BLO from Sasaram Nagar Nigam in Rohtas said: 'Out of 1,240 voters, about 440 are on the 2003 voters' list. About 150 have submitted their enumeration forms with one of 11 documents.' * In Bhagwanpur (Kaimur), a BLO said: 'The total number of voters in my booth is 1,470, including 500 on the 2003 list. A total of 1,296 forms were submitted but only 20 had one of the 11 documents attached.' * A BLO in Darbhanga's Keoti said: 'Out of 1,110 voters, 515 are on the 2003 list. About 425 submitted forms with one of 11 documents.' * A BLO from Sahebpur Kamal in Begusarai said: 'Out of 1,005 voters in my booth, 560 are on the 2003 list. About 375 submitted forms with one of the 11 documents.' As part of the SIR, the EC has deployed 38 DEOs (District Election Officers), 243 EROs, 2,976 AEROs (Assistant EROs) and 77,895 BLOs. An ERO said, 'Eventually, we will have to look at land papers, family registers, government scheme beneficiaries' details to ascertain genuine electors. We do have a column of other documents, which we can consider if EC allows it at some stage.' In its counter-affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on July 21 in the matter of various pleas challenging the Bihar SIR, the EC has not accepted the court's suggestion to consider Aadhaar, Voter ID and ration cards as proof for this exercise. Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
40 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bihar data released, next phase of revision to begin
The Election Commission of India will publish the draft electoral rolls for Bihar on August 1, marking the start of the next phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the poll body said on Sunday. Booth Level Officer (BLO) verify documents during the SIR drive. (HT File) These draft rolls will include the names of all electors who submitted duly filled enumeration forms during the verification phase held between June 24 and July 25. Following the publication, a one-month statutory window — from August 1 to September 1— will open for electors, political parties, and other stakeholders to file claims for inclusion and objections to wrongful exclusions or errors in the draft list. During this period, any discrepancies, duplications, or missing entries can be formally flagged using prescribed forms. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) will scrutinise all submissions and make necessary corrections. At the same time, these officers will review and take final decisions on the enumeration forms collected during the door-to-door phase. Once all objections and claims are processed and the 'health parameters' of the rolls are checked, the final electoral rolls will be published on September 30. The commission reiterated that no deletions will be made from the draft rolls without due process, including a formal notice and a speaking order by the ERO or AERO. 'As per Para 5(b) of SIR guidelines, NO NAME CAN BE DELETED from the draft list published on 1st August without notice and speaking order of the ERO/AERO,' according to an ECI note. The ECI on Sunday released a detailed note outlining the key findings from the recently concluded first phase of the SIR in Bihar. According to the Commission, over 7.24 crore voters — 91.69% of the state's 7.89 crore registered electors — submitted their Enumeration Forms during the month-long exercise. The remaining 8.31% included individuals who were either deceased, had shifted from their registered address, were found enrolled in multiple locations, or chose not to submit the form. Among the non-submitters, the commission identified 22 lakh (2.83%) voters as deceased, 36 lakh (4.59%) as not found at their address or permanently shifted, and 7 lakh (0.89%) as enrolled in more than one place. BLOs (block level officers) also reported that several electors had moved to other states or union territories and enrolled there, while others were unwilling to register or had not submitted the form by July 25. The Commission said that no name will be deleted from the draft rolls published on August 1 without proper legal procedure. As per Para 5(b) of the SIR guidelines, each deletion must be preceded by a formal notice and a speaking order from the relevant ERO or AERO. Voters who find their names missing from the draft rolls can appeal before the District Magistrate or the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. To make the process more accessible, the ECI is developing a standardised appeal format which will be made available for public use. The Commission also said that electors found enrolled at multiple locations will have their names retained in only one constituency. However, voters wrongly flagged as deceased, shifted, or duplicate may be added back during the Claims and Objections period. All such changes and verifications will be completed by the designated 243 EROs and 2,976 AEROs across Bihar, including 1,470 officers specially notified for the SIR on July 8. Responding to the ongoing political opposition to the SIR, a senior ECI official expressed surprise at the objections raised even before the publication of the draft list. 'ECI is not able to understand that when full one month period from 1 August till 1 September is available to point out wrongful inclusion or wrongful exclusion of any name, why are they creating such a big fuss now?' the official said. He further added, 'Why not ask their 1.6 lakh BLAs to submit claims and objections from 1 August till 1 September? Why are some persons trying to give an impression that the draft list is the final list, which it is not, as per SIR orders?' This reaction came two days after MPs from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc staged a protest inside the Parliament complex, marking the fifth day of demonstrations against the SIR exercise in Bihar. Senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, led a march from the Gandhi statue on the premises to the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament. Carrying posters with the slogan 'SIR—Attack on Democracy,' the MPs tore and discarded them in a symbolic rejection of the process. The Commission noted that BLOs visited each household where an elector was listed in the voter roll as of June 24, with up to three visits made to ensure form collection. BLOs also held meetings with BLAs at the booth level, and political agents were allowed to submit up to 50 Enumeration Forms per day to ensure their full participation in the exercise. To include temporarily migrated voters from Bihar, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state reached out to CEOs of other states and union territories, requesting assistance in contacting migrant electors. In addition, the ECI released full-page advertisements in 246 newspapers across the country, with a combined circulation of 2.6 crore, to inform Bihari voters residing outside the state about the enumeration process. The ECI also reported significant digital participation. Over 16 lakh Enumeration Forms were filled online through the official portal or ECINet mobile app, while an additional 13 lakh forms were downloaded for manual submission — taking the total digital engagement to nearly 29 lakh forms. These forms could be submitted through family members or even via messaging platforms like WhatsApp to the concerned BLOs. Special attention was paid to urban voters, with enumeration camps set up in all 5,683 wards across 261 urban local bodies in Bihar. To complement this effort, more than 10.2 crore SMSes were sent during the enumeration phase — both to inform electors and to acknowledge receipt of their forms. The Commission also provided a portal link for voters to track the status of their submissions. 'Now that the process of distribution and collection of enumeration forms is over, the BLOs would be given training in the next couple of days to handle the process of claims/ objections. If any eligible elector wants to include his /her name , it would be done from August 1 to September 1. Besides, claims /objections could be given against any elector's name figuring in the rolls. Such electors would be given notice and only after hearing, a decision would be taken by the electoral registration officers (EROs). No names would be deleted without proper hearing,' said an officer in the state election department. A second official said that all BLOs will be given copies of the draft rolls on August 1. 'The draft rolls will also be given to representatives of recognised political parties and booth level agents of the parties... Electors can also check their names in the draft rolls online or by visiting booths,' the official said, requesting anonymity. During the claims and objection period, voters can also get any rectification done by filling up prescribed forms while any genuine voter who has not been included in the rolls could also get enrolled by filling up the prescribed forms and declaration, officials said.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Modi announces statues of Chola kings as BJP takes Shaivite route to cracking Tamil Nadu puzzle
Addressing the people gathered, Modi harked back to the installation of the Sengol in the new Parliament building. A gold-plated, silver sceptre, the Sengol was earlier housed at the Allahabad Museum. Emissaries from the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam Matha, a Shaivite monastery, are believed to have had brought the Sengol to North India. Since then, the Sengol had been lying in the Allahabad museum for decades before it hit the headlines in 2023, when Modi, along with Hindu priests heading the 20 Adheenams in Tamil Nadu, installed it near the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair. On Sunday, participating in the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival at Tamil Nadu's Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, established by Rajendra Chola I in the then-capital of the Chola Empire, Prime Minister Modi said the statues would 'serve as modern pillars of India's historical consciousness'. Honouring Rajendra Chola I, he also released a commemorative coin at the temple, which is now celebrating its 1,000th anniversary. Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the government will install statues of Raja Raja Chola, who ruled the Chola empire at its peak in the 10th and early 11th centuries, and his son Rajendra Chola I in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming years. 'During the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the saints from the Shaivite Adheenams led the ceremony spiritually. The sacred Sengol, deeply rooted in Tamil culture, has been ceremoniously installed in the new Parliament,' Modi said, emphasising that the Shaivite tradition in the state had played a key role in shaping the country's cultural identity. 'Chola emperors were key architects of this legacy. Even today, Tamil Nadu remains one of the most significant centres—where this living tradition continues to thrive.' Political analysts in the state, however, say the PM's address is an extension of the BJP's efforts to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu. 'They (BJP leaders) have been trying to leverage the worship of Lord Vinayagar (Tamil Nadu's Ganesha) through the Vinayagar Chaturthi festival (also known as Ganesh Chaturthi) for a long time, and for the last couple of years, they have tried to leverage Murugan (Ganesha's brother and god of war and victory). Now, they have taken the Shaivite tradition and Lord Shiva to appease the people of Tamil Nadu and bring everyone under one umbrella as Hindus,' said A. Ramasamy, a political analyst and former head of Tamil department at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. However, BJP leaders in the state said that it was not about politics and that analysts are misreading intentions. Speaking to ThePrint, the BJP's former Tamil Nadu president, Tamilisai Soundararajan, said that the PM's visit demonstrated that history and legacy matter. 'Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple was a historically important temple, built 1,000 years ago, and the Prime Minister visiting it was a symbol of celebrating the past, and it has nothing to do with politics. By the visit of the Prime Minister to a small district, like Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the city has got the light of the country, and [I] hope it regains its past glory,' she told ThePrint. 'C hola Empire advanced democratic tradition s' Stating that the history and heritage of the Chola Empire proclaim the true potential of India, the PM said, 'The legacy of Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola is synonymous with India's identity and pride.' He also said that it was the Chola Empire, which implemented democratic election practices first, centuries before Britain's Magna Carta came into being. 'While historians speak of Britain's Magna Carta in the context of democracy, the Chola empire had implemented democratic election practices centuries earlier, through the Kudavolai Amaippu system,' he said, adding that the Chola Empire also advanced India's democratic traditions but had often been overlooked in global narratives. Under the Kudavolai Amaippu system, the names of contestants for membership of the village 'Maha Sabhas' were written on palm leaves, with the winner selected by a lucky lot drawn in front of all villagers. The Prime Minister also highlighted a belief that Rajendra Chola I transported Ganga water from North India to South India. 'While many are remembered for acquiring gold, silver, or livestock from other regions, Rajendra Chola is recognised for bringing sacred Ganga water. Rajendra Chola transported Ganga water from North India and established it in the South,' Modi said. The Prime Minister also highlighted the Union government's Kashi Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam programmes.'The Chola rulers have woven a thread of cultural unity across India. Today, our government is carrying forward the ideals from the Chola era,' the PM said. he also emphasised that the Shaivite philosophy would pave the way for meaningful solutions for several crises. Referring to the teachings of Tirumular, who wrote 'Anbe Sivam', meaning 'Love is Shiva', he said that 'had the world embraced this thought, many crises could resolve on their own'. India, he proclaimed, is currently advancing this philosophy through the motto, 'One world, One Family, One Future'. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Tamil Nadu on mission to get Blue Flag tag for 4 of its beaches. But Marina presents a unique challenge
