Latest news with #KamalNath
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Kamal Nath claims 2023 assembly poll results influenced by 8% fake voters
Bhopal: Former chief minister Kamal Nath on Saturday alleged that BJP won the 2023 assembly election through fake voters. He said that in the 2018 assembly poll, both Congress and BJP got nearly the same percentage of votes. But in the next election, while Congress' vote percentage remained constant, BJP's vote numbers increased by 8%. Now, it has been revealed that 8 to 10% of voters in the state would be reduced when voter identification is linked to Aadhar cards. Linking of voters to Aadhar cards would be completed before the 2028 assembly election by the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India). Taking to X, Kamal Nath said, "It has come to light that there are approximately 55-57 lakh fake voters in Madhya Pradesh. This number accounts for about 8-10% of the total voters in the state. Based on these very voters, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election of 2023 was conducted." He argued, "Even before the election, the Congress Party repeatedly complained to the Election Commission (EC) about the presence of a large number of fake voters. The Congress Party also raised complaints about cases where more than a hundred voters were registered at a single address and provided photographs of the houses to the EC. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Tại sao CFD tiền mã hóa có thể phù hợp với danh mục đầu tư của bạn IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Unfortunately, at that time, no appropriate action was taken against these fake voters. " Nath reasoned that in 2018, the vote percentage of Congress and the BJP was almost equal, at around 40%. "And in the 2023 assembly election, Congress's vote percentage remained around 40%, whereas the BJP's vote percentage saw a sudden jump of 8%. Is it merely a coincidence that the number of voters now being reported as fake corresponds closely to the additional 8% votes that the BJP received in the 2023 Assembly election?" the Congress veteran asked. This report that 8% to 10% of voters would be reduced when 100% of voters are linked to Aadhar cards makes it clear that the results of the 2023 Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh are not beyond the realm of suspicion, he said. "Later, a similar issue of large-scale voter inflation was raised in Maharashtra by the Lok Sabha LOP Rahul Gandhi himself. Time has now come for the public to become fully aware of their voting rights and ensure that every eligible voter registers their name and the names of ineligible individuals are removed," Kamal Nath said. "It is also clear here that the identification of fake voters is possible because their voter ID cards are being linked with Aadhaar cards. Therefore, the EC must, under all circumstances, include the Aadhaar card as a mandatory document for voter identification," he added. MSID:: 122408723 413 |
Hans India
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Ex-CM Kamal Nath alleges ‘irregularities' in teacher transfers in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Thursday launched a strong attack on the BJP-led state government, alleging large-scale irregularities in the recent transfer of over 7,000 school teachers. Kamal Nath accused the government of running a transfer-posting racket in collusion with middlemen and officials. He alleged that only those teachers who paid bribes were able to secure transfers, while many eligible candidates were ignored. 'Over 45,000 teachers had applied through the government's School Education Department portal for voluntary transfers, but only 7,000 were approved. This indicates that only those who paid money got transferred, while genuine applicants were left out,' Kamal Nath claimed, citing media reports. The allegations relate to a recent statewide reshuffle of teachers from primary to higher secondary schools, where transfers were made for those who had served over five years at a particular school. Kamal Nath alleged that the state's online transfer system, Education Portal 3.0, meant to ensure transparency, has been subverted. He claimed that middlemen were acting as brokers, collecting money from teachers to influence postings. Under the current system, the district collector and the minister in charge of the district play crucial roles in the transfer process. In the voluntary transfer process, applications submitted online are reviewed at the district level and approved with the digital signature of the district education officer. Ironically, the inclusion of ministers in the process a few years ago was intended to prevent irregularities and enhance transparency. The BJP swiftly rejected the allegations. Ashish Agrawal, Madhya Pradesh BJP's media in-charge, dismissed Kamal Nath's claims as politically motivated. 'During Kamal Nath's 18-month tenure, Vallabh Bhavan (the state secretariat) had turned into a full-fledged transfer industry. Now, under the BJP government, transfers are being handled transparently and verified at multiple levels,' Agrawal said. He further alleged that the Congress party, rattled by a string of electoral defeats, was trying to malign the image of the ruling government.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
EC sources say demand neither new nor tenable
NEW DELHI: Congress' Rahul Gandhi 's insistence that EC share a machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra electoral roll appears to have overlooked an important aspect - a similar request made by senior Congress neta Kamal Nath before SC was rejected in 2018, reports Bharti Jain. Interestingly, arguing the case on behalf of the petitioner was none other than Abhishek Manu Singhvi, now member of Congress's Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) that monitors the conduct of elections. A two-judge bench had in its ruling on Oct 12, 2018, in the case 'Kamal Nath vs EC and Others', found "force in the submission of EC (that) clause 11.2.2.2 of the election manual only uses the expression; text mode". As per the clause, the draft roll must be put on the chief electoral officer's (CEO) website in a text mode and no photographs shall appear against details of electors. The bench had said a draft roll in text mode was already supplied to the petitioner ahead of the 2018 polls in MP. Clause 11.2.2.2 "nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the CEO's website in a 'searchable PDF'. Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided," said the bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan. EC sources on Thursday cited this verdict to underline that the Congress's demand is not new and forms part of its strategy for well over eight years. "The demand ... is not tenable within the contours of the prevailing legal framework," said an EC functionary.
India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Congress' demand for digital electoral rolls
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Sources within the Election Commission of India (ECI) have clarified that the Indian National Congress' (INC) ongoing demand for machine-readable, digital copies of electoral rolls is 'not legally tenable' and has already been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court. Officials pointed out that this issue was earlier raised by former Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath in 2018 through written petition (C) No. 935 of 2018. The Supreme Court had definitively ruled in favour of the Election Commission's position in that case. While acknowledging that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has been demanding digital electoral rolls for the past seven months, ECI sources said that this is part of a Congress strategy spanning over eight years. They added that this fact 'appears to have been selectively obscured in the present representation.' The sources said that although Rahul Gandhi's demand is consistent with the Congress party's historical position, it cannot be accommodated within the current legal framework. The matter has already been legally settled through a Supreme Court judgment in the case of Kamal Nath vs. Election Commission of India. Rahul Gandhi 'may not have been appropriately apprised of the finality with which the matter stands concluded in judicial record,' they said. In its 2019 judgment, the Supreme Court specifically addressed whether voter lists should be supplied to political parties in searchable text mode rather than PDF format. 'The draft electoral roll in that mode i.e. text mode, has been supplied to the petitioner,' the Supreme Court noted, adding that the Election Manual's Clause 11.2.2.2 uses the expression 'text mode' but 'nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'.' The apex court upheld the ECI's decision to provide electoral rolls only in 'Image PDF' format in the public domain. The judgment stated that the current format 'fulfils the requirement contained in the Election Manual.' The court also noted that if political parties require searchable formats, 'he can always convert it into searchable mode, which of course, would require him to put his own efforts.' ECI sources further emphasised that the Commission's instructions dated January 4, 2018, directing field functionaries to provide only 'Image PDF' versions of electoral rolls, remain valid and have been judicially endorsed. The clarification comes amid renewed political debate over electoral transparency and access to voter data, with the Congress party continuing to press for enhanced digital access despite the settled legal position.' (ANI)
Hans India
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Rahul Gandhi's demand for digital voter list legally untenable: Experts
New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's persistent demand that ECI provide machine-readable digital copies of the voter lists for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Vidhan Sabha elections appears to be legally untenable, said constitutional experts and sources on Thursday. Election Commission of India insiders said an earlier Supreme Court verdict has already settled the matter in favour of the poll panel. They suggest that LoP Rahul Gandhi's repeated attempts to rake up the demand for 'machine-readable digital copies' are nothing more than a publicity stunt, as the apex court has already ruled against such a demand. Poll panel insiders shared excerpts of the Supreme Court's verdict on a writ petition filed in 2018 by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, that said, 'The format in which the draft electoral roll is supplied to the petitioner fulfils the requirement contained in the Election Manual.' 'If the petitioner so wants, he can always convert it into searchable mode, which, of course, would require him to put his own efforts,' said the Supreme Court judgment. Insiders in the ECI have shed light on the apex court judgment in the backdrop of LoP Rahul Gandhi's allegation of 'fixed election' in Maharashtra last November and the Election Commission's invitation to him to sit for a doubt-clearing session, an offer which he has not accepted yet. 'While it is factually correct that Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, has been demanding a machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such a demand by the Congress is not new,' said an official source. The demand, it seems, is part of a strategy by the Congress for well over eight years, a fact that appears to have been selectively obscured in the present representation, he said. 'The position historically maintained by the Indian National Congress is not tenable within the contours of the prevailing legal framework. It may be recalled that this very issue has already been agitated by the Congress before none other than the highest constitutional court of the country,' he said. An ECI insider cited the Supreme Court decision on the matter, which said: 'We find force in the submission of ECI. Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression 'text mode'. The draft electoral roll in that mode, i.e. text mode, has been supplied to the petitioner. The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'.' 'Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided,' said the SC verdict, quoted by the expert.
