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Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Amid Bihar row, Assam wants NRC considered in EC's voter roll revision
Officials from Assam have told the Election Commission (EC) that since it is the only state to have already carried out the exercise of preparing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), this should be factored in whenever the poll panel frames its timelines and decides the list of eligibility documents for the state's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, The Indian Express has learned. Sources in the Assam government said that since the EC is also looking at the citizenship aspect to determine eligibility for inclusion in the electoral roll — and given that Assam has already undertaken a citizenship verification exercise — the NRC, once published, can serve as one of the admissible documents for the SIR. Hence the state's request. This comes even as Opposition parties have alleged that the Bihar SIR has become a de facto citizenship-verifying exercise – 'NRC through the backdoor' – and that's not within the purview of the poll panel. Assam's request, learned to have been made after the Commission's announcement last month of a nationwide intensive revision of electoral rolls starting with Bihar, if accepted, could effectively mean a delay in the state's SIR. This is because the Assam NRC — a Supreme Court-monitored exercise meant to resolve decades of demographic anxieties in the state — remains stuck in limbo. Since the publication of the draft NRC in 2019, which excluded 19.6 lakh individuals from 3.3 crore applicants, the Registrar General of India is yet to notify it and both the BJP-led state governments since then have maintained that they do not find it acceptable in its current form. The objective of the NRC in Assam was to identify Indian citizens and distinguish them from illegal migrants in a state that has witnessed years of protests and political churn over undocumented migration. However, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is among its critics. The Assam government has maintained that the inclusions and exclusions in it are erroneous, and that excludes 'indigenous people' while including large numbers of 'foreigners' and that the number of people who had entered the state illegally after March 24, 1974 – the cut-off date for the NRC – is far higher than 19 lakh. The question of reverification had been raised by the Central and state government even before the 2019 NRC was finalised but had been denied by the Supreme Court. On July 23, 2019, the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman had observed that NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela had submitted that 27% reverification had already been done during the course of consideration and adjudication of the claims and that the court did not find it necessary for further sample reverification. In a special Assembly session held last month, CM Sarma said that the state government is still in the process of seeking 20% reverification of the list in districts bordering Bangladesh and 10% in the rest of the districts. 'The NRC is about to be released. It will be out in a month or two, most likely by October,' a source said, adding: 'We feel the NRC data, as it has been prepared after verification — and with reverification also in process — will be a perfect document for proving citizenship. It can be one of the documents (to be considered for the intensive revision).' A query sent to the Commission on whether it has considered Assam's request or taken a decision on the matter did not elicit a response. When contacted, Sarma told this newspaper that there has been no 'correspondence' with the EC on this issue. The Election Commission's decision to begin an intensive revision of the electoral roll from Bihar has sparked political opposition in the state, with some parties even moving the Supreme Court against the exercise. The trigger: the list of documents the Commission has asked voters — those registered in Bihar after 2003 — to furnish to prove their eligibility, specifically age and citizenship, to remain on the rolls. The year 2003 has been picked as the cut-off because that was when the last intensive revision took place in Bihar. So, anyone who featured in the 2003 electoral roll is presumed to be a citizen, and is therefore eligible for inclusion in the new roll now being prepared. The petitioners in the Supreme Court have questioned the EC's power to verify the citizenship of voters, the importance of due process in such an exercise, and the timing of the revision itself. The Supreme Court eventually declined to restrain the EC from proceeding with its intensive revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar but suggested that the poll panel also consider Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards for the purpose of updating the rolls. This is in addition to the 11 documents listed by ECI which include any identity card or pension payment order issued to a regular employee or pensioner of any Central or State Government/PSU; any identity card, certificate, or document issued by Government/Local Authorities, Banks, Post Office, LIC, or PSU prior to July 1, 1987; a birth certificate issued by the competent authority; passport; matriculation or educational certificate issued by recognised boards or universities; permanent residence certificate issued by the competent state authority; forest rights certificate; OBC, SC, ST, or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority; the National Register of Citizens (where applicable); family register; and land or house allotment certificate issued by the government.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Assam to Commission: Wait for our NRC before intensive roll revision
Officials from Assam have told the Election Commission (EC) that since it is the only state to have already carried out the exercise of preparing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), this should be factored in whenever the poll panel frames its timelines and decides the list of eligibility documents for the state's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, The Indian Express has learned. Sources in the Assam government said that since the EC is also looking at the citizenship aspect to determine eligibility for inclusion in the electoral roll — and given that Assam has already undertaken a citizenship verification exercise — the NRC, once published, can serve as one of the admissible documents for the SIR. Hence the state's request. This comes even as Opposition parties have alleged that the Bihar SIR has become a de facto citizenship-verifying exercise – 'NRC through the backdoor' – and that's not within the purview of the poll panel. Assam's request, learned to have been made after the Commission's announcement last month of a nationwide intensive revision of electoral rolls starting with Bihar, if accepted, could effectively mean a delay in the state's SIR. This is because the Assam NRC — a Supreme Court-monitored exercise meant to resolve decades of demographic anxieties in the state — remains stuck in limbo. Since the publication of the draft NRC in 2019, which excluded 19.6 lakh individuals from 3.3 crore applicants, the Registrar General of India is yet to notify it and both the BJP-led state governments since then have maintained that they do not find it acceptable in its current form. The objective of the NRC in Assam was to identify Indian citizens and distinguish them from illegal migrants in a state that has witnessed years of protests and political churn over undocumented migration. However, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is among its critics. The Assam government has maintained that the inclusions and exclusions in it are erroneous, and that excludes 'indigenous people' while including large numbers of 'foreigners' and that the number of people who had entered the state illegally after March 24, 1974 – the cut-off date for the NRC – is far higher than 19 lakh. The question of reverification had been raised by the Central and state government even before the 2019 NRC was finalised but had been denied by the Supreme Court. On July 23, 2019, the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman had observed that NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela had submitted that 27% reverification had already been done during the course of consideration and adjudication of the claims and that the court did not find it necessary for further sample reverification. In a special Assembly session held last month, CM Sarma said that the state government is still in the process of seeking 20% reverification of the list in districts bordering Bangladesh and 10% in the rest of the districts. 'The NRC is about to be released. It will be out in a month or two, most likely by October,' a source said, adding: 'We feel the NRC data, as it has been prepared after verification — and with reverification also in process — will be a perfect document for proving citizenship. It can be one of the documents (to be considered for the intensive revision).' A query sent to the Commission on whether it has considered Assam's request or taken a decision on the matter did not elicit a response. When contacted, Sarma told this newspaper that there has been no 'correspondence' with the EC on this issue. The Election Commission's decision to begin an intensive revision of the electoral roll from Bihar has sparked political opposition in the state, with some parties even moving the Supreme Court against the exercise. The trigger: the list of documents the Commission has asked voters — those registered in Bihar after 2003 — to furnish to prove their eligibility, specifically age and citizenship, to remain on the rolls. The year 2003 has been picked as the cut-off because that was when the last intensive revision took place in Bihar. So, anyone who featured in the 2003 electoral roll is presumed to be a citizen, and is therefore eligible for inclusion in the new roll now being prepared. The petitioners in the Supreme Court have questioned the EC's power to verify the citizenship of voters, the importance of due process in such an exercise, and the timing of the revision itself. The Supreme Court eventually declined to restrain the EC from proceeding with its intensive revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar but suggested that the poll panel also consider Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards for the purpose of updating the rolls. This is in addition to the 11 documents listed by ECI which include any identity card or pension payment order issued to a regular employee or pensioner of any Central or State Government/PSU; any identity card, certificate, or document issued by Government/Local Authorities, Banks, Post Office, LIC, or PSU prior to July 1, 1987; a birth certificate issued by the competent authority; passport; matriculation or educational certificate issued by recognised boards or universities; permanent residence certificate issued by the competent state authority; forest rights certificate; OBC, SC, ST, or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority; the National Register of Citizens (where applicable); family register; and land or house allotment certificate issued by the government. Have been in journalism covering national politics for 23 years. Have covered six consecutive Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in almost all the states. Currently writes on ruling BJP. Always loves to understand what's cooking in the national politics (And ventures into the act only in kitchen at home). ... Read More Ritika Chopra, an award-winning journalist with over 17 years of experience, serves as the Chief of the National Bureau (Govt) and National Education Editor at The Indian Express in New Delhi. In her current role, she oversees the newspaper's coverage of government policies and education. Ritika closely tracks the Union Government, focusing on the politically sensitive Election Commission of India and the Education Ministry, and has authored investigative stories that have prompted government responses. Ritika joined The Indian Express in 2015. Previously, she was part of the political bureau at The Economic Times, India's largest financial daily. Her journalism career began in Kolkata, her birthplace, with the Hindustan Times in 2006 as an intern, before moving to Delhi in 2007. Since then, she has been reporting from the capital on politics, education, social sectors, and the Election Commission of India. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Vijay leads TVK meeting, condemns Hindi imposition ahead of Tamil Nadu polls
Actor turned politician Vijay headed the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) State Executive Committee Meeting at the party headquarters in Chennai on Friday. The meeting was crucial ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, where several resolutions were passed. TVK State state executive committee noted that the electoral revision is being conducted to increase the pro-BJP votes.(PTI File) The TVK state executive committee said that Union Home Amit Shah's recent comments on the English language have "malicious" intentions and a "direct" assault on Tamil Nadu's two-language policy. The Tamil Vettri Kazhagham mentioned that the party will never accept the imposition of Hindi and the Sanskrit language on Tamil Nadu. The party also condemned the Election Commission of India's decision to conduct electoral revision and stated that the main purpose of it is to reduce minority votes in the state. The Committee noted that the electoral revision is being conducted to increase the pro-BJP votes, which is against democracy. Meanwhile, several other decisions related to TVK head Vijay's outreach program were taken ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. On July 3, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor turned politician Vijay met family members of Ajith Kumar, who allegedly died during police interrogation in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu earlier in the month. Vijay demanded a High Court-monitored probe into the alleged custodial death of Ajith Kumar in Sivaganga district, while holding Chief Minister MK Stalin, who is also the state's home minister, responsible for it. "In the Tiruppuvanam Ajithkumar custodial death case, a special investigation team must be formed under the direct supervision of the High Court to conduct an inquiry and deliver a swift judgment!" the TVK chief wrote in a post on X. He claimed that the police department, under the "direct supervision of MK Stalin", acts in a "cruel, utterly inhumane and unjust manner towards ordinary citizens." Vijay also alleged that the state government initially shielded the accused and only took action after the High Court intervened. "This incident starkly highlights the extent to which the Tamil Nadu Police Department, operating under the direct supervision of the Home Minister, Mr. M.K. Stalin, acts in a cruel, utterly inhumane, and unjust manner toward ordinary citizens, functioning as an unethical institution. It is widely known that the Tamil Nadu government initially tried to protect the culprits," Vijay's post read.
India Today
07-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Murshidabad communal violence: 13 named in chargesheet for murder of father, son
The West Bengal Police have named 13 people on their chargesheet in connection with the father-son double murder case during West Bengal's anti-Waqf law protests in April this year, a police official Das, 74, and his son Chandan Das, 40, were hacked to death in the communal violence that broke out in Murshidabad district. The incident took place in the Shamshergunj area, following Friday prayers. advertisementAs per police reports, the father and the son were dragged out of their house in Betbona village after miscreants managed to force open the main door. They were attacked with an axe in broad daylight as a man stood guard. A High Court-monitored fact-finding team has pointed fingers at local Trinamool Congress leader Mehboob Alam, ex-chairman of the Dhuliyan Municipality, in connection with the attack on father and accused have been charged with rioting, forcibly breaking into a house, murder committed by a group of more than five people, and illegal possession of arms and riots, which lasted from April 8 to 12, left three dead, several injured, and hundreds fleeing their homes to the neighbouring Malda district. In the wake of the disturbance that saw attacks on police, government, and private property, the Calcutta High Court ordered the deployment of paramilitary forces to rein in the situation, which had spiraled out of have submitted the charge sheet before the district court within 55 days of the crime and have named 13 people in it," an official was quoted by news agency PTI as many as 300 people were arrested in connection with the violence with over 60 FIRs filed across various police stations in the violence-hit district of from Rajesh Saha and agenciesMust Watch
