Latest news with #SpecialIntensiveRevisionofElectoralRolls
United News of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Rahul accuses EC of 'stealing votes in Bihar in name of SIR'
New Delhi, July 17 (UNI) Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi today once again attacked the Election Commission, accusing it of 'stealing votes in the name of SIR' in Bihar. In a post on X, Gandhi claimed that the Election Commission in Bihar was 'caught red-handed stealing votes in the name of 'SIR', referring to the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls being held in the state ahead of the Assembly elections. "Their job is just theft, named 'SIR'—and now an FIR will be filed against those who exposed them!" he alleged. Questioning the neutrality of the Election Commission, Gandhi further asked, "Is the EC still the 'Election Commission' or has it completely become the BJP's 'Election Theft' branch?" Notably, an FIR was filed against a journalist related to his reporting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, on July 13. It was lodged at the Ballia police station in Begusarai district based on a complaint from a Booth Level Officer (BLO), according to reports. UNI RBE RN
United News of India
4 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
Nitish cabinet approves target of 1 crore jobs by 2030
Patna, July 15 (UNI) In a significant move, the Bihar cabinet today approved creation of one crore jobs and employment opportunities over the next five years (2025–2030) in the state. The decision was taken in a meeting of the cabinet held here during the day under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The cabinet, in the meeting sanctioned 30 important agendas paving the way for massive employment and infrastructure development in the state. To facilitate the ambitious plan to create one crore jobs and employment opportunities over the next five years, a high-level 12 membered committee will be constituted under the development commissioner. The committee will advise the government on employment generation strategies. The cabinet also sanctioned a one-time additional honorarium of Rs 6,000 to each of the 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 8,245 BLO supervisors in the state. The one-time honorarium will be in addition to their annual honorarium for conducting the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls. A total of Rs 51,68,40,000 has been sanctioned for the one-time honorarium. While approving the agenda of urban development and housing department, the cabinet sanctioned allocation of Rs 179.37 crore, excluding service tax, to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) on a nomination basis for the maintenance work of the Priority Corridor under the Patna Metro Rail Project for a period of 2 years and 8 months commenting from August 2025 and ending on March 2028. Additionally, approval has been given for the lease of a 3 trainset for a period of 3 years for the operation of the Priority Corridor. The total cost for this lease, including other associated costs and Goods and Services Tax (GST), amounts to Rs 21,1544646 crore. Further, the responsibility for managing this arrangement has also been approved to be assigned to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) on a nomination basis. The cabinet also approved the proposal to transfer a total of 112 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) — including 81 ITIs (with 3,020 created posts) established under the 'Establishment of New Industrial Training Institutes' scheme and 31 Women ITIs (with 855 created posts) under the 'Establishment of New Women ITIs' scheme to the Non-Plan Head under the category of Establishment and Other Committed Expenditures, along with a total of 3,875 sanctioned posts. Several large-scale infrastructure projects cleared by the cabinet include Bhagalpur Ganga Path Project, a 40.8 km road between Sultanganj-Bhagalpur-Sabour with a budget of Rs 4,850 crore and Munger Ganga Path Project, a 42 km stretch between Munger–Bariarpur–Ghorgat–Sultanganj, sanctioned at Rs 5,120 crore. Following the discontinuation of the non-financial education policy, the state has allocated Rs 394.41 crore for assistant grants to teachers and education workers in aided secondary and higher secondary schools for the fiscal year 2025-26. UNI RS PRS
News18
07-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Misleading': Election Commission Fact-Checks Kharge's Post On Bihar Voter List Revision
Last Updated: The ECI dubbed the Kharge's claim as "misleading" and said that there were no change in the instructions of SIR that is being carried out in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday fact-checked Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list in Bihar, who had claimed that the poll body has amended the process of voter verification from asking for documents to only filling a form without any documents citing a newspaper advertisement. The ECI dubbed the Kharge's claim as 'misleading" and said that there were no change in the instructions of SIR that is being carried out in the state ahead of the assembly elections. 'The claim made in this post, that no document is required and only filling the form is sufficient, is misleading. There is no change in the instructions. SIR is being conducted as per the orders dated 24.06.2025. While submitting the filled enumeration form before 25th July 2025 is mandatory, the documents can be submitted at any time either before 25th July 2025 or during the claims and objections period," the ECI said in a post on X. Meanwhile, the Election Commission's decision to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral roll in the run-up to the assembly elections later this year has triggered major political controversy. The opposition parties have been alleging that the BJP is trying to snatch voting rights from crores of people in Bihar. On Sunday, the Congress President accused the BJP of conspiring to deprive the people of Bihar of their voter rights through the revision of electoral rolls and said the voters of the state would teach the saffron party a lesson for its attack on democracy and the Constitution. He cited a new advertisement issued by the Election Commission (EC), urging the voters of Bihar to only fill a form under the SIR, and alleged that 'when people rise, BJP backtracks". 'With the support of the Election Commission, the master plan that the BJP had devised to deprive crores of people in Bihar of their voting rights now seems to be ensnaring the BJP itself," Kharge alleged in a post in Hindi on X. भाजपा ने चुनाव आयोग के सहयोग से, बिहार में करोड़ों लोगों का वोटिंग का अधिकार छीनने का जो मास्टर प्लॉन बनाया था, उसमें अब भाजपा खुद फँसती नज़र आ रही है।पहले दिन से ही, कांग्रेस पार्टी Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठा रही है। जो लोग… — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 6, 2025 'Why are people who have been voting election after election being asked to show their documents for voting? 'Forcibly depriving the poor, weak, deprived, Dalits, oppressed and backward people of their voting rights is the conspiracy of the BJP-RSS," he alleged. The Congress chief claimed that nearly eight crore people will suffer because of the SIR. 'The responsibility to correct the voter list lies with the EC, not the public. 'When the pressure from the opposition, the public and civil society increased, the Election Commission hurriedly published these advertisements today, which state that now only a form needs to be filled and showing documents is not necessary," he claimed. 'This is part of the BJP's tactic to mislead and confuse the public. The truth is that the BJP has decided it will crush democracy at all costs. But when faced with public opposition, it cleverly takes a step back," the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha alleged. Meanwhile, the ECI has explained the need for the SIR across India as its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of electoral rolls. It decided to begin with Bihar since it is the first state where the next assembly election will be held later this year. It said that the SIR is being implemented smoothly at the ground level with the active cooperation of the electors. The EC added that all voters are directly made aware through more than 77,000 BLOs and 4 Lakh volunteers as well as 1.5 lakh BLAs appointed by all political parties. 'In accordance with Article 326, the orders of SIR dated 24 June 2025 clearly enable all eligible electors to be included while excluding ineligible electors after verification by the concerned ERO," the EC said. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Bihar elections Mallikarjun Kharge Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 07, 2025, 23:35 IST News elections 'Misleading': Election Commission Fact-Checks Kharge's Post On Bihar Voter List Revision
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Business Standard
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Bihar electoral list row: Opposition cries foul, CEC says process fair
Amid rising concerns from opposition parties in poll-bound Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has defended the Election Commission's (EC) decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. Talking to reporters in Firozabad on Sunday, Kumar said, 'Nearly every political party complained about issues in the authenticity of the voter list, and demanded updations... More than 100,000 booth-level officers are working on it with the support of all political parties.' #WATCH | Firozabad, UP: On allegations of Congress on discrepancies in Bihar's voter list, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says, "As part of law, before every election, the voter list needs to be updated... A detailed investigation of the voter list and all details of… — ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2025 However, several INDIA bloc members, including the Congress, have already raised questions over the timing and possible misuse of the revision process. They allege that the EC's move could lead to the 'willful exclusion' of voters using state machinery. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the revision as a 'conspiracy by BJP-RSS to snatch away the voting rights of Dalits and other deprived sections', while Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar accused the EC of incompetence and claimed the process raises suspicions of biased intent. भाजपा ने चुनाव आयोग के सहयोग से, बिहार में करोड़ों लोगों का वोटिंग का अधिकार छीनने का जो मास्टर प्लॉन बनाया था, उसमें अब भाजपा खुद फँसती नज़र आ रही है। पहले दिन से ही, कांग्रेस पार्टी Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठा रही है। जो लोग… — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 6, 2025 Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, questioned why such a revision was being conducted solely in Bihar and not nationwide, as was done in 2003. However, the BJP-led NDA has defended the voter list update as a necessary step, accusing the opposition of attempting to find 'excuses' ahead of a 'certain defeat'. EC clarifies no change in instructions In response to the backlash, the EC issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that the SIR is progressing 'smoothly at the ground level' in Bihar and that there has been 'no change in instructions' since the order was issued on June 24. The EC said that voters are allowed to submit their documents 'anytime before July 25, 2025' and will have another opportunity during the 'Claims & Objections' period. It urged the public to 'beware of statements being made by a few persons... attempting to confuse the public with their incorrect and misleading statements.' Revision based on demographic changes According to the EC, the special revision exercise is essential to ensure accuracy in the voters' list due to multiple factors — rapid urbanisation, high migration, a surge in first-time voters, non-reporting of deaths, and inclusion of foreign illegal immigrants. The last similar exercise in Bihar was conducted in 2003. The Commission added that the names of existing electors who submit enumeration forms will be included in the draft electoral rolls to be released on August 1, 2025. Additional time will be provided for document submission, reinforcing that the process is in line with its order dated June 24. SC to hear petitions on July 10 The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear petitions challenging the EC's decision to conduct the revision. A partial working day Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi took up submissions from senior advocates including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, and Gopal Sankaranarayanan. Sibal, appearing for RJD MP Manoj Jha, argued that the EC's timeline was unfeasible, given that elections are likely in November. Singhvi pointed out that approximately 40 million of Bihar's 80 million voters will need to submit documents by July 25. Sankaranarayanan added that even Aadhaar and voter ID cards were not being accepted during the process. While the Bench agreed to list the matter for July 10, Justice Dhulia noted that the current timeline 'does not have sanctity' since elections are yet to be officially notified. [With PTI inputs]
Scroll.in
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Bihar electoral rolls revision: No change in instructions on procedure, clarifies EC
The Election Commission on Sunday clarified that there was 'no change in instructions' on the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar. Earlier in the day, the office of the Bihar chief electoral officer had said that all measures were being taken to facilitate voters to complete their documentation as part of the revision exercise. 'These existing voters will have time to submit the documents even after first submitting their Enumeration Forms,' the chief electoral officer had said. The chief electoral officer had issued public notices in Hindi newspapers on Sunday saying that if voters were unable to submit their documents, they could submit only enumeration forms to block-level officers. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge claimed on X that the Election Commission published the advertisements in response to pressure from the Opposition and civil society. 'When faced with public opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party cleverly takes a step back,' he claimed. भाजपा ने चुनाव आयोग के सहयोग से, बिहार में करोड़ों लोगों का वोटिंग का अधिकार छीनने का जो मास्टर प्लॉन बनाया था, उसमें अब भाजपा खुद फँसती नज़र आ रही है। पहले दिन से ही, कांग्रेस पार्टी Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठा रही है। जो लोग… — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 6, 2025 In a clarification on Sunday evening, the poll panel said that the revision of voter rolls was being carried out as per an order issued on June 24, and that there had been no change in instructions since then. 'The electors can submit their documents any time before July 25, 2025,' the Election Commission said. 'After publication of draft Electoral Rolls, if any document is deficient, [electoral registration officers] can obtain such documents, from the electors whose name appears in the draft Electoral Rolls, during scrutiny in the Claims and Objection period.' The Election Commission said that till 6 pm on Sunday, it had received the enumeration forms of 1,69,49,408 voters, or 21.46% of the voting population. It added that 7.25% of the forms had been uploaded on the commission's ECINET app. No one was satisfied with current voter rolls: EC chief Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday defended the ongoing special intensive revision of Bihar's electoral rolls, claiming that the exercise had to carried out as no one was satisfied with the current voter rolls, The Hindu reported. Kumar said that in the past four months, electoral registration officers, district election officers and all 36 chief electoral officers in the country held nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. 'The EC has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction,' he said, according to The Hindu. 'No one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other.' Revision of electoral rolls The special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar was announced by the Election Commission on June 24, ahead of the Assembly elections expected to be held in the state in October or November. As part of the exercise, persons whose names were not on the 2003 voter list will need to submit proof of eligibility to vote. This means that 2.9 crore out of the state's 7.8 crore voters – or about 37% of the electors – will have to submit documentary evidence. The special intensive revision guidelines issued earlier stated that the voters born before July 1, 1987, must show proof of their date and place of birth, while those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must also submit documents establishing the date and place of birth of one of their parents. Those born after December 2, 2004, will need proof of date of birth for themselves and both parents. If the officers are satisfied with the details provided, the voters will be re-enrolled to a new voter list by electoral registration officers. If not, they will be removed from the voter lists. A draft roll will be published on August 1 and the final roll will be out on September 30. disenfranchising more than 2.5 crore voters, as they may not be able to produce the necessary documents.
