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The latest C-Voter election tracker for Bihar assembly elections shows RJD's Tejashwi Yadav leading as the preferred Chief Minister candidate at 34.6%, despite a decline from previous ratings.
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Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Tejashwi seeks to puncture EC's claims on progress in SIR
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday cast doubts over the Election Commission 's claim that the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was progressing at a brisk pace and would be completed before the July 25 deadline. Addressing a press conference here, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly also took strong exception to the EC's "silence" on the Supreme Court's suggestion that Aadhar card and ration card be included in the list of acceptable documents, to be submitted by voters whose names did not figure in the electoral rolls of 2003 when SIR was last conducted. The young leader said, "In its press note issued on Saturday, the EC claimed that more than 80 per cent of the state's 7.90 crore voters have already been covered under SIR. This is a bewildering claim considering the fact that an estimated four crore people from Bihar live in other states." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Undo "We would like to know from the EC how many such migrants have been covered under the exercise. It is well known that during the elections, a large number of people return to their home state to cast their votes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several special trains had to be run for an estimated 40 lakh returnees. The EC should disclose what arrangements were made this time," the former deputy chief minister said. The EC seems to be playing with figures to give a false impression that it has been undertaking this exercise competently, he alleged. Live Events "We have received complaints that booth-level officers (BLOs) are under pressure to achieve targets and they are ending up collecting enumerating forms without getting those duly signed and filled up by the voters concerned," he added. Yadav also had a few video clips played, in which enumeration forms were shown strewn on the streets, to underscore that the SIR was marred by many irregularities. However, the X handle of the chief electoral officer has been running "fact checks" debunking these videos. Yadav alleged, "The EC is never coming up with a proper statement or press conference explaining what it intends to do about the SC order earlier this week when it was told to consider including Aadhar card and ration card." There is no clarity on the role that booth-level agents nominated by political parties are supposed to play in the exercise, he said. "In its tearing hurry to meet the July 25 deadline, the EC came up with an advertisement proclaiming that those unable to submit their documents may just deposit their forms, leaving the remaining things for the claims/objections stage. But there was no official notification to this effect and the BLOs are confused," claimed the chairman of the INDIA bloc's coordination committee for the state assembly polls due later this year. Yadav, who spoke in the presence of a number of alliance partners, also said, "We still hold the view that SIR is an exercise aimed at depriving, wrongfully, many existing voters of their right to franchise in order to benefit the ruling NDA. Leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should be squarely blamed for this undemocratic move." In the 2020 assembly polls, there were several seats in which candidates of Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc's Bihar prototype) lost by margins of 3,000 votes or less. A little manipulation in the voters' list can easily tilt the scales. If indeed the EC believes that the voters' list had been suspect so far, it should declare last year's Lok Sabha elections as null and void, Yadav said. He scoffed at the claim of the BJP that the exercise was essential to weed out "illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas" from the voters' list. "In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led coalition did exceedingly well. Even last year, the NDA bagged 30 out of the state's 40 seats. So the BJP should tell us whether it thinks the alleged infiltrators were voting for Narendra Modi," he added. PTI
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Three back-to-back murders in Patna in a fortnight, Oppn slams Nitish govt over law and order
Three back-to-back killings in Bihar's capital Patna within a span of days have triggered a political firestorm with opposition raising serious questions over the Nitish Kumar-led government's handling of law and order in the state. The victims include a BJP leader, a prominent businessman, and a grocery shop owner. Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav (left)), and chief minister Nitish Kumar (right).(File Photo) The latest in the string of murders was reported on Saturday, when BJP leader Surendra Kewat was shot dead by bike-borne assailants near his farm in Sheikhpura village along the Bihta–Sarmera State Highway, reported Live Hindustan. Earlier the same day, Vikram Jha, a grocery shop owner originally from Darbhanga, was fatally shot outside his shop in Patna's Ram Krishna Nagar area. These killings come close on the heels of the murder of Gopal Khemka, a businessman and BJP functionary who was shot dead outside his residence in Gandhi Maidan on the night of July 4, considered one of the most secured localities in the city. Opposition hits out at Bihar government Former deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday lashed out at the ruling NDA alliance, accusing it of losing control over the law and order situation. 'And now, a BJP leader shot dead in Patna! What to say, and to whom? Is there anyone in the NDA government willing to listen to the truth or admit their mistakes?' Yadav posted on X. He further attacked Kumar, saying, 'Everyone knows about the CM's health, but what are the two useless BJP deputy chief ministers doing? No statement from the corrupt Bhunja-DK party?' Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Saturday raised concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar, calling it a "matter of sorrow" and urging citizens to hold the government accountable. "Can anyone say anything about law and order? This is a matter of sorrow... Murders are happening, and looting is occurring. No one can be satisfied by seeing this. This is a matter of concern for everyone... It is the responsibility of those outside the government to inform the government that what is happening under them is not right," Khurshid told news agency ANI. Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan also questioned the administration over the recent string of murders. In a post on 'X', he said, 'How many more murders will Biharis have to face? It is beyond comprehension what the responsibility of the Bihar Police is.' BJP responds, says 'no criminal will be spared' Responding to the criticism, BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain defended the state government, saying, 'The murder in Bihar is unfortunate. Those responsible for this will not be spared.' 'The police is investigating the matter. However, the language in which Tejashwi Yadav is speaking about Bihar's law and order is not right. During their government, criminals used to roam around freely but today, no criminal is spared.' he said targeting the RJD. Police probe underway in latest killings According to officials cited by the Hindi daily, 52-year-old Surendra Kewat was returning from his farmland after switching off a water pump when two men on a motorcycle opened fire. He was rushed to AIIMS Patna but succumbed to injuries during treatment. Earlier the same day, 40-year-old Vikram Jha was shot outside his grocery shop by an unidentified man who arrived on a motorcycle and fled after firing. Speaking to reporters, SP Patna East Parichay Kumar said: 'Vikram Jha, a resident under PS Ram Krishna Nagar limits, was shot at some time ago. When he was being taken to the hospital, he died… On analysing the CCTV footage, we found that the deceased owned a grocery store, and a person came on a motorbike and shot him. There seems to be no evidence of robbery in the store.' The officer added that there were no prior complaints or known threats, and forensic teams were examining the scene to determine a motive. The killing spree began earlier this month with the daylight murder of Gopal Khemka, a prominent businessman and BJP functionary, outside his residence in Patna's Gandhi Maidan area. Khemka had reportedly asked for police protection before the attack.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
'Sutra ko mutra…': RJD's Tejashwi Yadav turns down Bihar illegal voters claim
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav was on Sunday seen slamming a journalist for citing 'sources' over a query on the possible presence of illegal migrants in Bihar electoral roll and said such sources he considers as 'mutra' (urine). LoP in Bihar assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav. (ANI/File) In a press conference on Sunday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav raised concerns about voter verification and possible deletion of names from the electoral rolls. During the press conference, Tejashwi Yadav was asked about reports of possible presence of foreign illegal migrants in electoral rolls across India, something that the Election Commission plans to carry out an intensive review over. On this, Tejashwi Yadav asked the journalist about the origin of the news. The journalist then can be heard saying 'sources' to Tejashwi Yadav's query. Tejashwi Yadav then replies, "hum wo sutra [sources] ko mutra samajhte hain… iska koi adhaar nai hai. [We consider these sources as urine, waste]." Election commission officials on Sunday claimed that field-level functionaries of the ECI have found "a large number of people" from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar during house-to-house visits made for the ongoing intensive review of the voters' list in Bihar. Addressing the press conference in Bihar's Patna, Tejashwi claimed that if even one per cent of voters are left out during the verification process, nearly 7.9 lakh voters across the state could lose their right to vote. "This means around 3,251 voters could be removed in each assembly seat," he said. He pointed out that during the last election, RJD lost 52 seats by margins of just around 5,000 votes. "If 3,200 votes are cut in each assembly, it can make a big difference," news agency ANI quoted Tejashwi. Tejashwi alleged that many of these voters are people who have migrated outside Bihar for work and questioned whether their names were being removed without proper checks or communication. "Is this just eyewash? Why are these voter deletions happening under the direction of Amit Shah or Modi ji?" he asked. He asked whether the Election Commission was carrying out these actions without informing the public and demanded transparency in the voter verification process ahead of the elections. "Is this being done without concern, without informing the voters?" he added. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly elections has invited massive backlash, with the opposition parties and calling the revision of voter list as "backdoor NRC (National Register of Citizens)" alleging "vote theft" while also prompting them to question the independence of the constitutional body. However, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the centre, along with the double-engine government led by Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar in Bihar, has accused the opposition of "playing politics on the shoulders of wrongfully registered voters" while claiming that they were targeting the ECI to save themselves from political defeat. Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year, in October or November.
