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India Gazette
2 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
As per mandate under the Article 326 of the Constitution, EC has started the process of Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar
New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): The Election Commission has started its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to verify the eligibility of electors in each constituency ahead of Bihar elections, fulfilling its mandate under Article 326 of the Constitution, according to an official statement from the poll panel. 'Article 326 specifies eligibility to become an elector. Only Indian citizens aged 18 years and above, and ordinary residents in that constituency, are eligible. Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has already started successfully in Bihar for verifying the eligibility of each elector with full participation of all Political Parties,' the EC's statement read. More than one Lakh volunteers will be assisting genuine electors, particularly the elderly, the sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), the poor, and other vulnerable groups during the SIR, said the EC. Notably, the printing and door-to-door distribution of new Enumeration Forms (EF) for the existing more than 7.8 crore electors of Bihar has already started in the 243 Assembly Constituencies. 'Online filling of the new Enumeration Forms (EFs) has already been enabled and has also started successfully. Out of the existing 7,89,69,844 electors, 4.96 Crore electors, whose names are already in the last intensive revision of Electoral Roll on 01.01.2003, have to simply verify so, fill the Enumeration Form and submit it,' EC said. The EC said that out of the existing 7,89,69,844 electors, 4.96 Crore electors, whose names are already in the last intensive revision of the Electoral Roll on January 1, 2003, have to simply verify it by filling the Enumeration form and submitting it. The Poll panel has already appointed 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and will appoint an additional 20,603 BLOs for new polling stations. All recognised National and state political parties registered with the ECI have also appointed 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs). They can still appoint more BLAs. All Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates are engaging all the BLOs full-time during the SIR. Additionally, SMSs are also being sent to the 5,74,07,022 registered mobile numbers of Bihar, with all activities regarding the SIR progressing as scheduled. Earlier, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien criticised the EC for conducting an SIR, claiming that the poll panel is trying to 'bring the NRC in from the back door,' referring to the controversial National Register of Citizens against which there were multiple protests a few years ago. The TMC MP said, 'The EC (Election Commission) is trying to bring the NRC in from the back door. In 1935 under the Nazis, you were supposed to be given an ancestor pass. Some proof of paper to show that you are an Indian citizen is this the new version of that Nazi Ancestor Pass?... All the INDIA bloc parties will take this up in and outside Parliament.' AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has also accused the EC of trying to implement the NRC in Bihar, and warned that this could stop many rightful Indian citizens from voting and harm public trust in the Election Commission ahead of elections. (ANI)
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Voter list revision in poll-bound Bihar a ploy to bring in NRC, says TMC
Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter lists in poll-bound Bihar was a backdoor attempt to implement the NRC, the TMC Saturday said that move came in the wake up 'BJP's internal survey showing that the party will get just 46-49 seats in the state'. 'Why is this exercise being done now? We have evidence explaining why it is being done now. It is because the BJP's latest internal survey for Bengal shows 46-49 seats for them if Assembly polls are held. In their desperation to change or attempt to change this, they are doing this,' said TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien at a press briefing in Delhi. Mentioning Mamata's remarks on the SIR being the 'backdoor entry for NRC', he said: 'It is a sinister move. In 1935 under the Nazis, people were supposed to provide an ancestor pass, a proof of paper. Is this the new version of the Nazi ancestor pass? Where do we go from here?' The poll panel had on Tuesday announced the special intensive revision of the electoral roll, starting from Wednesday, which will culminate with the publication of the electoral roll on September 30 before the Assembly polls due in November. The last such revision was in 2003. The Opposition has expressed concerns about the exercise potentially disenfranchising voters. The Congress said that the ECI was admitting that 'all is not well with India's electoral roll' but called the revision 'a cure worse than the disease'. He said that INDIA bloc parties will raise this issue inside and outside Parliament. 'We will not wait for Parliament to start. We can have the coordination in the House, but we cannot wait that long,' he said. At the press briefing, TMC Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose said: 'This is a very important issue for democracy and transparent elections. The BJP has a habit of misusing Central agencies to target the Opposition. We are seeing this again, that through the ECI, the BJP is targeting the Opposition.' TMC Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale said that the Modi government 'is taking away' people's 'right to vote, and bringing in the NRC using the Election Commission'. 'The purpose of this new exercise is to manipulate Bengal elections for the BJP and then replicate this model all over India,' said Gokhale.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
2.93 crore Bihar electors will have to establish citizenship to vote this year
The Election Commission (EC), which began its 'special intensive revision' of Bihar's electoral rolls this week, said on Saturday that out of the total 7.89 crore electors in the state, 4.96 crore, who were on the rolls as on January 1, 2003, only have to fill and submit the new enumeration form. This means that the remaining 2.93 crore or about 37 per cent of the electors will have to submit documents establishing citizenship, in addition to the form, to remain on the rolls, as per the EC order issued on June 24. 'Out of the existing 7,89,69,844 electors, 4.96 crore electors, whose names are already in the last intensive revision of Electoral Roll on 01.01.2003, have to simply verify so, fill the Enumeration Form and submit it,' the EC said in a statement on Saturday. Unlike the usual revision of the electoral roll through additions and deletions, this time, the EC is preparing the document afresh. All existing electors will have to submit the forms by July 25 in order to be included in the draft roll. For those who were not on the rolls in 2003 — the last time that an intensive revision was done in Bihar — and for new applicants, the EC has asked for proof of date and/or place of birth proof of self if they are born before July 1, 1987; proof of date and/or place of birth of self and one parent if born between July 1, 1987 to December 2, 2004; and proof of date and/or place of birth of self and both parents if born after December 2, 2004. Commenting on the start of the process, with booth-level officers (BLOs) going house-to-house to distribute forms to electors, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said: 'History begins. Proud moment for all Indians. Election Commission was, is and will always be with the voters.' The EC statement said that 77,895 BLOs were already in place, and 20,603 more were being appointed for new polling stations. 'More than 1 lakh volunteers will be assisting genuine electors, particularly the old, sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), poor and other vulnerable groups during the SIR. All recognised national and state political parties who are registered with ECI have also already appointed 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs). They can still appoint more BLAs. Printing as well as door-to-door distribution of new Enumeration Forms for all the existing 7,89,69,844 electors of Bihar has already started in each of the 243 Assembly Constituencies of Bihar,' the EC said. After the EC announced the revision on June 24, Opposition parties, including the RJD, Congress, CPI (M), CPI (ML) and TMC, had raised concerns over the exercise potentially disenfranchising electors, particularly the poor, rural and minorities. While the EC has started the process in Bihar, where elections are due in November, it has issued the order for the whole country. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked whether the EC was trying to 'implement the NRC [National Register of Citizens] through backdoors'. In its statement announcing the move on June 24, the EC had cited migration and inclusion of foreigners onto the rolls as among the reasons behind the move. 'The last intensive revision for Bihar was conducted by the Commission in the year 2003. Various reasons such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants have necessitated the conduct of an intensive revision so as to ensure integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls. The BLOs shall be conducting house-to-house survey for verification during the process of this intensive revision,' the EC had said. In its statement on Saturday, the EC underlined: 'The Constitution of India is supreme. All citizens, political parties and the Election Commission of India follow the Constitution. Article 326 specifies eligibility to become an elector. Only Indian citizens, above 18 years and ordinary resident in that constituency, are eligible.' Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
India Today
4 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Why Mamata is at war with EC again over voter rolls
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on June 26, launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC), alleging that its new guidelines for electoral roll verification amounted to a covert implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), with her state as the primary from Digha in Purba Medinipur, where she was overseeing preparations for the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Mamata said she had received two lengthy letters from the EC, each spanning 25-30 pages. While she had not been able to examine them fully, she said a cursory look revealed that the commission was now demanding a declaration form—Annexure D—from voters born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004. This form, she alleged, required submission of birth certificates of both parents as proof of called the move a 'scam', questioning the logic behind targeting those born within this specific window. 'What is the rationale behind selecting these dates? Why isolate voters born after 1987? This is more dangerous than NRC and must be resisted by all Opposition parties,' she to EC sources, the new guidelines are part of a special intensive revision of electoral rolls, set to begin in Bihar ahead of assembly elections later this year. Under the rules, voters registered before 2003 will not be required to furnish additional documents. However, those registered after 2003 must submit identity and citizenship proof. The process includes door-to-door verification across the country, and in some states, the 2004 roll will serve as the baseline. Mamata expressed concern that the rollout in Bihar—where polls are imminent and the BJP is in power—is a diversionary tactic. 'They will not touch Bihar. The real target is Bengal, which heads to polls next year,' she said. 'This exercise is meant to disenfranchise young and vulnerable voters, particularly migrant workers, students, villagers and the uneducated, who may struggle to procure their parents' documents.'advertisementMamata alleged that valid voters' names were being arbitrarily deleted at the behest of the BJP. 'The names get cancelled at the last moment on the BJP's instructions,' she claimed. 'The EC is helping them (BJP) capture Bengal using agencies and manipulation.'Mamata voiced deep suspicion over the EC's impartiality, accusing it of functioning as an extension of the Union home ministry. She directly targeted home minister Amit Shah, saying, 'Modiji is the prime minister. I respect the chair. But Amit Shah is running the country. The current chief election commissioner was his secretary in the cooperation ministry.'In a clear message to political opponents and civil society, Mamata said the Trinamool Congress would be the first line of resistance against what she described as 'Emergency weapons being handed to the BJP'. She called on all Opposition parties to unite and reject the guidelines.'The EC cannot act unilaterally. We live in a federal democracy. Political parties and elected governments are not bonded labourers. The EC must consult all recognised parties before implementing such sweeping changes,' she also questioned the long-term intention behind the voter documentation drive. 'How will poor people produce their parents' birth certificates? This is a backdoor NRC. Let the commission come clean on its intention,' she said. 'Even in Assam, the NRC took six years and is still not accepted as a final list.'advertisementShe cited past incidents to underscore her mistrust. In February this year, she had flagged cases of duplicate voter identity cards in Bengal matching those in states like Rajasthan and Haryana. The party raised the issue with the EC, which admitted to flaws in the electoral rolls. 'Now they ask us to provide details of booth-level workers. Why should I reveal their identities to the commission?' she across the political spectrum are beginning to echo her concerns. CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya wrote to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, warning that the current revision exercise mirrored the scale and nature of the Assam NRC, which failed to conclusively resolve citizenship also sounded an alarm over the potential detention of voters who may fail to meet the documentation criteria. 'Those who are studying or working outside must ensure their names remain on the rolls till the day of polling. I've been told that 100 migrant workers from Bengal have been detained in Odisha's Cuttack. Some are held in Balasore police station. Why are these incidents happening every day?' she voters to remain vigilant, Mamata warned that disenfranchising citizens under the pretext of document verification would eventually 'backfire on the BJP'. She concluded with a message of defiance: 'We are not opposed to a fair revision of the voter list. But we will not allow the disenfranchisement of genuine voters through such dubious methods.'Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
EC Trying To Push NRC 'Through Backdoor'- TMC Blasts Poll Body, Alleges 'Nazi' Action
/ Jun 28, 2025, 02:06PM IST Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien has accused the Election Commission of launching a 'sinister' backdoor National Register of Citizens (NRC) under the guise of a special voter roll revision in Bihar. Comparing the required documentation to Nazi-era 'ancestor passes', O'Brien questioned the timing of the exercise just months before elections in Bihar—and warned that it may be extended to West Bengal. Citizens born after 2004, he claimed, would have to produce birth documents for themselves and both parents, or risk being struck off the voter list. Calling the move desperate and politically motivated, he alleged the EC is acting on BJP's behalf to influence results in states where they're losing ground. The INDIA bloc, he said, will raise this inside and outside Parliament. Is this a legitimate cleanup of electoral rolls—or a stealth NRC?#electioncommission #biharpolls #tmc #voterlist #tmcvsec #derekobrien #biharelections #nrcdebate #ecrevision #voterrollcontroversy #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews
