As Opposition keeps up protest against SIR, both Houses adjourned for day
In the morning, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appealed to Opposition members to maintain decorum after they raised slogans and also displayed placards.
Birla said, '… You are members of such an old political party, which has contributed to this House and its decorum. The people from your party will see your behaviour in the House. You bring placards, raise slogans, bang tables. This is not as per decorum.'
Mentioning Congress MP K C Venugopal, Birla said, 'This is the biggest democracy. What kind of message are you sending to the country's democratic institutions?… Bringing placards, banging tables, these are not traditions of your party… People have not sent you here to bring placards, and bang tables.' Amid the din, Birla adjourned the proceedings in less than seven minutes.
When the LS reconvened at 2 pm, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, urged MPs to participate in a discussion on the Bill The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024, which seeks to provide seats for STs in the Goa Assembly.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal questioned the Opposition for not allowing discussion. 'The Opposition is not cooperating. It means they do not want to discuss (the issues) in the interests of STs,' he said. As the protests continued, proceedings were adjourned for the day.
In the RS, Deputy Chairman Harivansh adjourned the House till 2 pm amid protests by Opposition. When the House sat again, Bhuwaneshwar Kalita, who was in the Chair, urged the MPs to begin a discussion on the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill but amid sloganeering by Opposition members, proceedings were adjourned within 15 minutes.
AIADMK's Thambidurai and YSRCP's Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy spoke on the Bill but were barely audible amid slogans. BJP MP Laxmikant Bajpai urged the Chair to take action against the Opposition MPs under Rule 235 (ii). Congress's Pramod Tiwari said LoP Mallikarjun Kharge should be allowed to speak. '… The LoP is on his feet but you are not giving him a chance to speak, nor are you giving any assurance…' The Chair then adjourned the House.
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Indian Express
43 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
an hour 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.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Anert's note contains blatant lies: Chennithala
T'puram: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the note released by Anert in response to his questions to the electricity minister regarding the multi-crore scam related to the PM KUSUM scheme, which provides free solar pumps to farmers in Kerala, contains blatant lies. "This explanation confirms all the corruption allegations I have raised. Anert's note, filled with falsehoods, is part of the electricity minister's attempt to evade answering the allegations," Chennithala said. He said the official has listed such blatant lies to cover up the corruption conducted on behalf of the electricity minister. "We all witnessed what happened to the former principal secretary to the chief minister, who justified a consultancy corruption deal I exposed during the previous govt's tenure. The same fate awaits this official," he added. "If attempts to protect this corrupt official continue, another major corruption involving him will soon be exposed. The govt has become one that charges commissions through consultancies," Chennithala said. When Anert called for a tender worth Rs 240cr, the CEO's authority was only Rs 5cr. Anert's claim that they did not call for a Rs 240-cr tender is a blatant lie. Kerala's e-tender portal clearly recorded the Rs 240-cr tender. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Similarly, the explanation given for amending the financial bid is strange. The most important aspect of a financial bid is the amount recorded. Amending a bid means changing the amount, he added. Another major falsehood is the claim that the CAG report approved this tender process. The CAG report examining the tender processing of this period has not yet been released, making this claim a blatant violation of service rules by the Anert official concerned, he said. The beneficiaries of the commission from the multi-crore transactions through Anert will soon be revealed. The electricity minister can no longer evade this issue. "I have all the evidence and documents of the corruption and irregularities. I challenge the minister for a detailed investigation. The minister should face the investigation with dignity instead of hiding behind officials. An investigation of Anert's transactions over the past five years should be conducted, and the legislative assembly committee should recommend an inquiry," demanded Ramesh Chennithala.
