Latest news with #ElectionCommission
Hindustan Times
18 minutes ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
AIMIM President Owaisi accuses Election Commission of quietly implementing NRC in Bihar ahead of polls
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi accused the Election Commission of secretly implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming state elections. Owaisi said new rules ask people to prove their own and their parents' birth details through documents, which many poor citizens, especially in flood-hit Seemanchal, do not have.(ANI - X) Owaisi warned that this could stop many rightful Indian citizens from voting and harm public trust in the Election Commission ahead of elections. He said the new rules ask people to prove their own and their parents' birth details through documents, which many poor citizens, especially in flood-hit Seemanchal, do not have. In a post on X, Asaduddin Owaisi wrote, 'The Election Commission is conducting NRC in Bihar through the backdoor. To be enrolled in the voter roll, every citizen will now have to show documents not only proving when and where they were born, but also when and where their parents were born. Even the best estimates state that only three-fourths of births are registered. Most government documents are riddled with errors. People in the flood-prone Seemanchal region are among the poorest; they can barely afford two meals a day. To expect them to possess their parents' documents is a cruel joke.' He added that the Supreme Court had raised strict questions about such processes back in 1995. "The result of this exercise will be that a large number of Bihar's poor will be removed from the electoral roll. Being enrolled in the electoral roll is a constitutional right of every Indian. The Supreme Court had raised serious concerns about such arbitrary procedures as far back as 1995. Initiating such action so close to elections will only weaken people's faith in the Election Commission," the post reads. He said that people in Bihar have to show detailed birth documents to stay on the voter list, depending on when they were born. "If you were born before July 1987, you must provide one of 11 accepted documents showing your date and/or place of birth. If you were born between 01.07.1987 and 02.12.2004, you must submit a document showing your own date and place of birth as well as a document proving the date and place of birth of one of your you were born after 02.12.2004, you are required to provide proof of your own date and place of birth along with documents establishing the date and place of birth for both parents. If either parent is not an Indian citizen, a copy of their passport and visa valid at the time of your birth must also be submitted," the post further reads. Owaisi said the Election Commission plans to finish door-to-door voter checks in Bihar within a month, but this is unfair in a state with poor connectivity and a high population. He cited a 1995 Supreme Court ruling, which said voters cannot be removed without notice and due process. The court also said that citizenship cannot be judged only through a few documents, and all kinds of valid proof must be accepted. "The Election Commission of India (ECI) wants to complete a door-to-door verification of every voter within one month (June-July). Bihar is one of the most populous and least connected states in India, it is not practically possible to carry out such an exercise fairly there. In the Lal Babu Hussein case (1995), the Supreme Court ruled that a person who is already enrolled in the voter list cannot be removed without notice and due process. It is the ECI's responsibility to prove the basis on which a person is being treated as a foreigner. Most importantly, the Court held that citizenship cannot be proven only through a limited set of documents, all types of relevant evidence must be considered," the post reads. Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
AIMIM President Owaisi accuses Election Commission of quietly implementing NRC in Bihar ahead of polls
Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM President, alleged that the Election Commission is secretly implementing NRC in Bihar. He claimed this could disenfranchise many Indian citizens before the upcoming state elections. Owaisi said new rules require citizens to prove their birth details and those of their parents. He warned this will affect poor citizens who lack necessary documents. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi accused the Election Commission of secretly implementing the National Register of Citizens ( NRC ) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming state warned that this could stop many rightful Indian citizens from voting and harm public trust in the Election Commission ahead of said the new rules ask people to prove their own and their parents' birth details through documents, which many poor citizens, especially in flood-hit Seemanchal, do not a post on X, Asaduddin Owaisi wrote, "The Election Commission is conducting NRC in Bihar through the backdoor. To be enrolled in the voter roll, every citizen will now have to show documents not only proving when and where they were born, but also when and where their parents were born. Even the best estimates state that only three-fourths of births are registered. Most government documents are riddled with errors. People in the flood-prone Seemanchal region are among the poorest; they can barely afford two meals a day. To expect them to possess their parents' documents is a cruel joke."He added that the Supreme Court had raised strict questions about such processes back in 1995."The result of this exercise will be that a large number of Bihar's poor will be removed from the electoral roll. Being enrolled in the electoral roll is a constitutional right of every Indian. The Supreme Court had raised serious concerns about such arbitrary procedures as far back as 1995. Initiating such action so close to elections will only weaken people's faith in the Election Commission," the post said that people in Bihar have to show detailed birth documents to stay on the voter list, depending on when they were born."If you were born before July 1987, you must provide one of 11 accepted documents showing your date and/or place of birth. If you were born between 01.07.1987 and 02.12.2004, you must submit a document showing your own date and place of birth as well as a document proving the date and place of birth of one of your you were born after 02.12.2004, you are required to provide proof of your own date and place of birth along with documents establishing the date and place of birth for both parents. If either parent is not an Indian citizen, a copy of their passport and visa valid at the time of your birth must also be submitted," the post further said the Election Commission plans to finish door-to-door voter checks in Bihar within a month, but this is unfair in a state with poor connectivity and a high cited a 1995 Supreme Court ruling, which said voters cannot be removed without notice and due process. The court also said that citizenship cannot be judged only through a few documents, and all kinds of valid proof must be accepted."The Election Commission of India (ECI) wants to complete a door-to-door verification of every voter within one month (June-July). Bihar is one of the most populous and least connected states in India, it is not practically possible to carry out such an exercise fairly there. In the Lal Babu Hussein case (1995), the Supreme Court ruled that a person who is already enrolled in the voter list cannot be removed without notice and due process. It is the ECI's responsibility to prove the basis on which a person is being treated as a foreigner. Most importantly, the Court held that citizenship cannot be proven only through a limited set of documents, all types of relevant evidence must be considered," the post elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
EC drive a routine effort to weed out illegal immigrants: Bengal BJP
Kolkata: A day after CM Mamata Banerjee called Election Commission 's directives on voter-list revision in Bihar an "NRC-like approach", Bengal BJP on Friday termed the exercise a "routine drive to weed out illegal immigrants". BJP's Bengal minder, Amit Malviya, said: "The poll body has begun a lawful and routine drive to weed out illegal immigrants." Taking to X, Malviya said illegal immigrants were "maliciously included in Bengal's electoral rolls by the ruling TMC and CPI(M) before that". He said ensuring "clean and accurate voter rolls" was not NRC but "electoral integrity". Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said EC was trying to ensure free and fair polls in the state, which was "marred by violence". "Terrorists have made Bengal their safe haven. This is evident from recent arrests made by NIA. The way demography has changed, it is now a question of Bengal's security. EC is working in the national interest and is ensuring internal security is not compromised," he said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata
India.com
9 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Voting by mobile phones during Bihar assembly polls? Election Commission shares details
(Representational Image) New Delhi: A new change is going to happen regarding voting before the Bihar assembly elections. Bihar is going to become the first state in the country where voting can be done through phone. Bihar State Election Commissioner Deepak Prasad gave this information on Friday, June 27. His comment came before the voting to be held on Saturday for six municipal councils of Patna, Rohtas and East Champaran. However, it is not clear at the moment whether voting will be done through phone in the upcoming assembly elections or not. Who can e-vote? Giving more information about this, Bihar Election Commissioner Deepak Prasad said that this facility will be available to those people who are not able to go to the polling station and cast their vote. He said that to vote online, an app should be installed in the phone of the voters. Senior citizens, Divyang, pregnant women and voters living in other states can take advantage of this facility. Prasad said, 'To avail this facility, voters will have to install the E-SECBHR app. After this, it will have to be linked to the number added in the voter list. This app will currently work only on Android phones. This app has been developed by the Center for Development of Advanced Computing, while there is another app which has been developed by the Bihar Election Commission.' How will security be arranged? The biggest fear about e-voting is the possibility of tampering with it. In such a situation, while answering this question, the Election Commission said that many efforts have been made to keep the voting process smooth, fair and transparent. For example, only two registered voters will be allowed to log in using one mobile number. Apart from this, each lot will be checked and verified using the voter ID card. Apart from this, voters who do not have a mobile phone can also cast e-vote on the website of Bihar Election Commission. Prasad said, 'About 10 thousand voters have already registered in the e-voting system to participate in our scheme and cast e-votes. Apart from this, we hope that about 50 thousand more voters will vote online instead of going to the polling booths. We have taken full care of digital security measures in this. This system will include features like blockchain technology, face matching and scanning to ensure that it cannot be tampered with. Apart from this, there will also be an audit trail like the VVPAT machine, which will enable us to maintain even more transparency.'
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan's top court rules Imran Khan's party ineligible for reserved parliamentary seats
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top court on Friday ruled the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan is not entitled to reserved seats in the national and provincial legislatures, setting aside an earlier judgment that had granted the party its share. The Supreme Court's Constitutional Bench dismissed all review petitions filed by PTI and allied petitioners, reinstating the Peshawar High Court's earlier ruling rejecting the allocation of reserved seats to the party. 'The impugned majority judgment dated 12.07.2024 is set aside… and the judgment rendered by the Peshawar High Court, Peshawar is restored,' the short order read. The dispute about the reserved seats stems from the February 8 general elections, where PTI candidates contested as independents after the party lost its electoral symbol for not holding valid intra-party elections, as required under the Elections Act. Despite winning the most general seats in the national polls, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled that PTI was ineligible for reserved seats for women and minorities in parliament, which are allocated based on proportional representation from among the seats won by political parties. Last year in July, the Supreme Court reversed the ECP's decision, terming it unconstitutional and ordering the reserved seats to be allocated to PTI. However, the government subsequently passed amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, in a move widely seen as targeting PTI's eligibility for reserved seats. The revised law stipulated that only those candidates who had formally declared their party affiliation before the returning officer — and whose party had submitted lists of nominees for reserved seats within the legal deadline — would be entitled to such allocations. Since PTI-backed candidates contested the February election as independents, and the party did not submit lists for reserved seats, the amendments effectively barred it from claiming a share. With Friday's verdict, the apex court has now ruled that the independents backed by PTI in the February election cannot be treated as party nominees for the purpose of seat allocation. Responding to the development, Khan's party described the short order as the 'funeral … of justice' in a social media post. The government, on the other hand, welcomed the decision, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulating its legal team's 'tireless efforts.' 'The decision has upheld the supremacy of the Constitution and law, and ensured correct interpretation of legal provisions,' he said in a statement. 'The opposition should now join the government in playing a constructive role for the country's development and prosperity,' he added. The reserved seats in question will now be allocated to other political parties, including Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party and its coalition partners. The top court's verdict will numerically strengthen the government while dealing yet another blow to Khan's PTI, which has faced legal and political challenges since the downfall of its administration in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
