Dhankhar's resignation flags off race for next VP
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Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
Opposition protest against Bihar rolls revision stalls House
Opposition protest against Bihar rolls revision stalls House NEW DELHI: The continuing opposition stir against SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls forced a whitewash of business in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha again on Thursday, with the Upper House managing only the customary farewell for retiring members. On the fourth day of Parliament's monsoon session, Congress parliamentary party chairperson and Rajya Sabha member Sonia Gandhi joined the mass of opposition MPs who demonstrated outside Parliament building, raising slogans and holding placards denouncing the EC exercise. While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day shortly after reassembling for the post-lunch session amid din, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned by Speaker Om Birla after opposition MPs raised slogans and entered the well of the House with placards. Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal , in the Lower House, questioned the opposition for not allowing discussion on the bill which seeks to provide seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Goa legislative assembly. Earlier, Birla had asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and assured that as per rules, they will be given opportunities to raise issues. He mentioned the name of Congress' K C Venugopal and said it was not the culture of his party to indulge in sloganeering in the House.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Rahul Gandhi's 'vote theft' claim an afterthought, says EC
NEW DELHI: Election Commission of India on Thursday said leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi 's allegations of "vote theft" during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka appear to be an afterthought, given that Congress neither filed a single appeal with election officials after publication of the state's final electoral roll in Jan 2024 nor did it challenge the results in state high court through an election petition. Talking to reporters in Parliament complex, Rahul claimed that Congress has "concrete 100% proof" of "cheating in an LS seat" in Karnataka and warned that "if you (EC) think you are going to get away with this... you are mistaken... we are going to come for you". The Congress MP said opposition would ensure that EC is held accountable. Dismissing his charges as "baseless" in a statement, EC said: "It is highly unfortunate that rather than filing an election petition as per section 80 of Representation of the People (RP)Act, 1951, or if filed, awaiting verdict of HC, he has not only made baseless allegations but also chosen to threaten EC, which is a constitutional body." With his allegations coming more than a year after the LS polls result, EC said it was wondering why "such baseless and threatening claims were being made against it and the CEC, and that too now." It added that the losing Congress candidates did not file a single election petition to challenge the result, despite Representation of the People Act, 1951 allowing this within 45 days of declaration of result. Others, however, did file 10 election petitions in HC. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo Countering Rahul's "unwarranted threatening statements", the Karnataka chief electoral officer (CEO) on X said copies of the draft and final electoral roll for the state's 224 assembly seats were provided to recognised parties, including Congress, on Oct 27, 2023, and Jan 22, 2024, respectively. Between publication of the draft and final roll, around 9.2 lakh claims and objections were received and settled across 34 districts. Neither Congress nor any other entity avail the two-stage appeal option available under Representation of the People Act, 1951, the post said. Meanwhile, backing RJD functionary Tejashwi Yadav suggested possibility of boycotting Bihar elections over the special revision of electoral rolls issue, Congress' K C Venugopal said a political party's biggest weapon in a democracy is the voters' list and if that is compromised, with names being deleted and lists not being clean, then you are challenging democracy. "Let there not be an election and there be one party. Let Election Commission rule that. That is what Yadav meant by his comment about boycotting," Venugopal said.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
NDA allies hail EC's mammoth poll rolls revision exercise
1 2 Patna: JD(U) and BJP and their allies on Thursday hailed the method and manner of conducting the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and insisted that the Election Commission (EC) has carried out the exercise with utmost transparency. "The aim and intention of the state govt is that no right and justified citizen of Bihar is excluded from the final draft of the electoral rolls," parliamentary affairs minister and senior JD(U) functionary Vijay Kumar Choudhary, said. Talking about the difference between the periodic simple revision (SR) and SIR, Choudhary said while the SR ensures that every eligible voter above 18 years of age is included in the electoral rolls, the SIR is concerned about ensuring all rightful and bona fide citizens of the country, living in any state, are included in the final electoral rolls, and that no such citizen is left out. The current SIR is being conducted around 22 years after the last one was done in 2003. Choudhary presented JD(U)'s position on the current SIR at the all-party discussion in the state assembly during the pre-lunch session. Among the speakers were deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary, who presented the point of view of the BJP, which was in agreement with that of Choudhary, and Jyoti Manjhi of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like How these S'poreans are chasing their dreams & cutting costs by 'super commuting' between cities CNA Read More Undo While leader of the opposition and senior RJD functionary Tejashwi Prasad Yadav initiated the House discussion, Congress's Shakeel Ahmad Khan, Mahboob Alam of the CPI(ML), Ajay Kumar (CPM), Surya Kant (CPI) and Akhtarul Iman (AIMIM) were among the other speakers. Choudhary said it has been found that 18 lakh electors listed in the 2003 electoral rolls were already dead, which in itself justifies the current SIR exercise. He said that migrants working outside get registered at two-three places for voting, which has also necessitated the clean-up of the electoral rolls. The parliamentary affairs minister said the draft electoral rolls prepared through the SIR exercise would be ready by Aug 1, and corrections, if any, can be done till Sept 1. He also said it was possible to conduct house-to-house survey in a month, as had been done during the preparation of the 2003 electoral rolls. "The SIR is a good exercise that the EC has been conducting," the parliamentary affairs minister said. On the question that there's apprehension genuine voters could be excluded, Choudhary said bona fide citizen should not fear of being left out.
