Poll body to go door-to-door nationwide to remove illegal migrants from voter list
The Election Commission of India (ECI) will now conduct door-to-door verification of voter lists across the country, starting with Bihar. This intensive voter list survey aims to ensure the integrity of electoral rolls by identifying and removing the names of illegal migrants and ineligible voters.In Bihar, the first state to undergo this exercise, voters who were enroled in the 2003 voter list will not be required to submit any documents. This group includes around 5 crore individuals. However, those who enroled after 2003 will have to submit valid documents to prove their identity and eligibility. In some other states, the cut-off year will be the 2004 voter list.advertisementThis verification is part of a special intensive revision that the ECI is launching in six states: Bihar, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, all of which are scheduled to hold Assembly elections either this year or in early 2026. While Bihar goes to the polls in October-November 2025, the remaining states are set for elections in March-April 2026.
The opposition parties have raised concerns about political bias in this move, while the Commission maintains that it is a constitutional responsibility to ensure fair and clean elections.The ECI has assured that all steps taken will strictly follow the legal framework laid down in Article 326 of the Constitution and Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. WhileThe Commission's move focusses on identifying illegal foreign migrants who have entered the voter list using fake documents. It comes amid ongoing actions in several states against Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants.advertisementBooth-level officers will visit households for physical verification of voters. Special emphasis will be placed on verifying those who have migrated into the state from elsewhere or are first-time applicants. All such individuals must submit a declaration form with documentary proof of birth.Applicants will need to prove that they were born in India before July 1, 1987. If they were born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, they must also provide documents establishing their parents' date and place of birth.This is the first intensive voter list revision in Bihar since 2003.The Commission highlighted that multiple factors such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, deaths not being reported, and increasing cases of fraudulent voter registrations have made it necessary to conduct this detailed verification to maintain the purity of electoral rolls.- EndsMust Watch
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Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Socialist', ‘secular' in Preamble: Shivraj, MoS Singh back Hosabale, Opposition slams remark
A day after RSS Sarkaryavaha Dattatreya Hosabale called for a discussion on whether the words 'socialist' and 'secular', inserted in the Preamble of the Constitution during the Emergency, should remain there, Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dr Jitendra Singh threw their weight behind the idea even as leaders of the Congress and other Opposition parties criticised Hosabale's remark. There was no comment from the BJP on the RSS leader's suggestion. Sudhanshu Trivedi, the party's national spokesperson, attacked the Congress for being 'behind every act of tampering with the Constitution and its spirit' over the last seven decades, and said it should apologise for the Emergency. The LJP, which is part of the ruling alliance, was the only NDA partner to respond to Hosabale's remark. 'If this issue is brought before the alliance, we will oppose it. We are protectors of socialism and secularism,' LJP national vice president A K Bajpayi said. Shivraj Singh Chouhan's office shared a video of the minister addressing a press conference Friday in Varanasi where he said, 'Sarva Dharma Sambhav Bharatiya sanskriti ka mool hai. Dharm nirpeksh hamari sanskriti ka mool nahin hai. Isliye ispar zaroor vichaar hona chahiye ki aapaatkaal mein jis dharm nirpeksh shabd ko joda gaya usko hataya jaaye.' ('The core of Indian culture is Sarva Dharma Sambhav (equal respect for all religions) and not dharm nirpeksh (secular). Therefore, there must be a discussion on the removal of the word dharm nirpeksh that was added during the Emergency.') On socialism, Chouhan said that to believe everyone else to be like oneself is a core Indian thought. That this world is a family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) is the core thought of India, he said. 'There is no need for socialism here. We have said for long that all should be treated alike. So, the word socialism is also not needed, and the country should certainly think about this,' he said. In Jammu, Minister of State Jitendra Singh said he did not think there was 'any second thought' on Hosabale's remark. 'Hosabale ji has stated that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' were added to our Preamble after the 42nd amendment as these were not given by Babasaheb Ambedkar,'' he said. Pointing out that Dr B R Ambedkar crafted 'one of the best Constitutions of the world'', Singh said 'if it was not his thinking, then with what thought someone added these words'. Asked whether the BJP endorsed the demand for the removal of the words 'secular' and 'socialist', Singh said, 'Who doesn't want to? Every right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everyone knows they are not part of the original Constitution document, which Dr Ambedkar and the rest of the committee wrote.' 'It is not a question of BJP vs non-BJP,'' he said, adding 'it is the question of preserving the democratic values and the constitutional values''. He said the Emergency was not a sudden aberration but rather the cumulative result of the Congress ideological foundation, and accused the party of being rooted in nepotism, authoritarianism and opportunism, always placing its own interests above that of the country. Referring to Hosabale's remark, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said the 'RSS mask' has 'come off again', and that the Constitution troubles them 'because it speaks of equality, secularism and justice'. In a post on X in Hindi, Gandhi said the 'RSS-BJP' combine 'wants Manusmriti' and is out to deprive the marginalised and the poor of their rights. 'Their real agenda is to snatch away a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them,' he said. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: 'Invoking the Emergency to discredit these principles is a deceitful move, especially when the RSS colluded with the Indira Gandhi government during that time for its own survival… To use that period now to undermine the Constitution reflects sheer hypocrisy and political opportunism.' BJP's Trivedi was quoted by news agency PTI saying, 'The BJP has been raising the issue of flagrant violations of people's fundamental rights and atrocities committed by the Congress government during the Emergency, and has demanded an apology from the Congress. But the party is not ready to apologise and is instead diverting the issue.' 'It is the Congress which is behind every act of tampering with the Constitution and its spirit in the last over 70 years. The Congress must apologise instead of spreading confusion,' he said. Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen's College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
RSS-BJP don't want Constitution, but Manusmriti: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Friday came down heavily on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying that it doesn't want the Constitution but the Manusmriti. Intensifying his attack, Gandhi said that RSS intended to violate the rights of the marginalised and the poor while enslaving them. 'The mask of RSS has come off again,' he added. 'RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution. They want Manusmriti. They aim to strip the marginalised and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda,' the Congress leader posed on X. 'The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism, and justice,' he added. Gandhi asserted that Congress would resist the dreams of RSS to 'snatch' the constitution from the marginalised and the poor. 'RSS should stop dreaming this dream - we will never let them succeed. Every patriotic Indian will defend the Constitution until their last breath,' he said. His remarks come after RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale suggested reconsidering the inclusion of the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. Hosabale was addressing a program on the 50th anniversary of the emergency, held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture) and the Ambedkar International Centre. Speaking at the event, he emphasised that the emergency wasn't just a misuse of power but an attempt to crush civil liberties. Millions were imprisoned, and freedom of the press was suppressed. He said that those who imposed the emergency and trampled the constitution and democracy have never apologised. If they cannot apologise personally, they should do so on behalf of their ancestors. He remarked that during the emergency, terms like 'socialist' and 'secular' were forcibly inserted into the Constitution -- a move that needs to be reconsidered. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said that Hosabale's suggestion was not a 'casual remark' but a 'long-standing agenda' to reshape the country's democracy. However, Union Minister Jitendra Singh defended Hosabale, stating that any 'right-thinking person' would endorse such a demand, as these terms were not part of the original Constitution. 'Any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everyone knows they are not part of the original constitution, which Dr Ambedkar and the rest of the committee wrote. This is not the question of BJP vs is a matter of preserving democratic and constitutional values, and those violating the constitution are actually the biggest violators,' Singh told reporters here. He pointed out that 'secular and socialist' were added after the 42nd amendment to the constitution, which means that it was not Dr Ambedkar who thought of including these terms. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Oppn train guns on RSS over call to remove
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's comments pitching to remove the words 'secular and socialist' from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution has sparked massive outrage in the political circle with the opposition leaders and parties labelling it as an 'insult to the Constitution' and an attack on its framers, including Babasaheb Ambedkar. However, BJP leaders and alliance party Shiv Sena came to defend the RSS leader, reiterating their stand that secularism has been imported from the West and represents Western values and not Indian culture. Attacking the RSS, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the Sangh of 'never accepting the Constitution'. He claimed that they have targeted framers of the Constitution since its inception for not being 'inspired by Manusmriti'. 'The RSS has NEVER accepted the Constitution of India. It attacked Dr Ambedkar, Nehru, and others involved in its framing from Nov 30, 1949, onwards. In the RSS's own words, the Constitution was not inspired by Manusmriti. The RSS and the BJP have repeatedly given the call for a new Constitution. This was Mr Modi's campaign cry during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The people of India decisively rejected this cry. Yet the demands for changing the basic structure of the Constitution continue to be made by the RSS ecosystem,' read a post by the Congress leader on X. KC Venugopal lashed out at Hosabale's statement, claiming that the leader's remarks were an insult to the Constitution, a rejection of its values, and a direct attack on the Supreme Court. 'A senior RSS member surely knows that the Supreme Court declared socialism and secularism to be part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Yet, to take this stand is a clear insult to the Constitution, a rejection of its values, and a direct attack on the Supreme Court of India as well,' he posted on X. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah cautioned that the call for the removal of the words 'secular and socialist' must not be understood as a 'casual remark' but a 'long-standing agenda' to reshape the country's democracy. He highlighted RSS' persistent opposition to the mention of the terms secularism and socialism in the Constitution, which Siddaramaiah said were the 'core values of the constitution'. He added that it was a part of the long-standing agenda of the Sangh to reshape India's democracy within their ideological purview. 'The RSS has always opposed the core values of our Constitution - secularism and socialism. Now, their leaders are once again saying these words should be removed from the Preamble. This is not a casual remark - it is part of a long-standing agenda to reshape India's democracy in their ideological image,' the Karnataka CM posted on X. Focusing on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution to the marginalised communities, the Karnataka CM said, 'If not for these constitutional values, people like me would never have had the chance to study, speak, or serve. That is the power of justice, equality, and secularism.' Siddaramaiah explained that the original Preamble didn't include 'secular and socialist' since it was obvious that India would be a socially just democracy, and these terms were added later at a time when the RSS and its affiliates were attacking these values. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi added to the criticism while stating that RSS intended to violate the rights of the marginalised and the poor while enslaving them. 'The mask of RSS has come off again,' he added. 'RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution. They want Manusmriti. They aim to strip the marginalised and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda,' the Congress leader posed on X. On the other hand, BJP leaders, including Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, have come in defence of the remarks made by Hosabale, reiterating their argument that secularism was not fundamental to Indian culture and that 'any right-thinking person' would support such a demand as these terms were not part of the original Constitution. 'The basic sentiment of India is equality of all religions... Secularism is not the core of our culture. The word secularism was added (to our culture) during the Emergency. It should be removed... Live and let live is the basic sentiment of India... Therefore, there is no need for socialism here... There is no need for the word socialism (Samajwad) either. The country should think about this,' Chouhan told ANI. Singh emphasised that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' were added later, through the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution during the Emergency, and not by the original drafters. 'Dattatreya Hosabale has stated that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' were added to our Preamble after the Amendment. Dr Ambedkar has crafted one of the world's finest constitutions. If this was not his thinking, how did someone add these words?' the junior minister added. Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC extended support to Hosabale's suggestion while reiterating that the demand to re-examine the original draft prepared by Dr BR Ambedkar stems from the view that in a republic like India, invoking terms such as 'socialist or pseudo-secular' is no longer necessary. 'The RSS is demanding to look into the original draft of the Preamble by Dr BR Ambedkar, in which there is no mention of these words. And the socialism, secularism, that is actually a symbol of India or a symbol of civilisational ethos, then why was it not in the original draft?' Shaina NC questioned. This development comes after Hosabale questioned the legitimacy of including the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution on Thursday while addressing a program on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency held at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (under the Ministry of Culture), Ambedkar International Centre. He remarked that during the Emergency, terms like 'socialism' and 'secular' were forcibly inserted into the Constitution -- a move that needs to be reconsidered today. He emphasised that the Emergency wasn't just a misuse of power but an attempt to crush civil liberties. Millions were imprisoned, and freedom of the press was suppressed. He said that those who imposed the Emergency and trampled the Constitution and democracy have never apologised. If they cannot apologise personally, they should do so on behalf of their ancestors. (ANI)
