'Why are we deliberately taking apart an electoral system that has worked?' 'There is no answer to that, and there is no data and has never been any on the absurd slander that foreigners are voting here,' asserts Aakar Patel.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee has commented on the Supreme Court judgment regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, emphasising its specific application to the Bihar case and highlighting the Election Commission's limited authority in determining citizenship.
Maharashtra has completed 66.42 per cent of its pre-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) mapping work, with significant variations in progress across different districts, according to officials.
The Madras High Court has issued notices to key political figures and the Election Commission following a petition alleging corrupt practices during the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, including the use of children to influence voters.
The delimitation in Assam has quietly changed the political scene, raising questions about whether new constituency boundaries helped the BJP by spreading out Muslim-majority voters.
While the total number of assembly seats remains unchanged at 126, the redrawing of boundaries has reshaped voter composition across constituencies -- a shift that is likely to influence electoral outcomes in the years ahead.
The NCERT's Class 9 Social Science textbook now includes the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, explaining its purpose to ensure accurate voter lists. The textbook also commends the Election Commission of India (ECI) for conducting impartial polls despite challenges, highlighting the scale and autonomy of India's electoral process.
Uttar Pradesh's electorate has increased by over 84 lakh following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to the final voter list. The revision exercise, conducted across all 75 districts, aimed to update and refine the electoral roll, resulting in a significant rise in both male and female voters, as well as an improved gender ratio.
The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has completed one year, leading to the deletion of nearly six crore voters across 19 states and Union territories. This exercise, which began in Bihar, has faced opposition criticism but was upheld by the Supreme Court. The purification drive has significant implications, including linking voter data to social security benefits in some states.
Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh has publicly distanced himself from the ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, which are focused on alleged exam irregularities and the NEET paper-leak controversy. Dosanjh reiterated his identity as an artist, not a politician, despite his past support for the farmers' protest and recent appeals to enter politics.
Rahul Gandhi accuses the government of using the women's reservation bill as a smokescreen to manipulate India's electoral map and diminish representation for certain states.
The Supreme Court has directed an appellate tribunal to expeditiously decide an appeal filed by a 75-year-old advocate challenging the deletion of his name from the West Bengal voters' list following a Special Intensive Revision exercise. The court noted the petitioner appeared to be a bona fide resident and requested a decision within two months.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has strongly condemned the arrest of Vinesh Chandel, co-founder of I-PAC, alleging it is a politically motivated act of "electoral sabotage" ahead of the West Bengal elections.
As activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike at Jantar Mantar entered the sixth day on Friday, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said he appeared "far weaker and more exhausted" and urged supporters across the country to observe a one-day fast in solidarity with the protest.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of bribing voters and has labelled the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a major scam. She also predicted the BJP government at the Centre would fall in 2026.
Ideology is dead; long live the numbers game that is being played with the sole intention of securing a two-third majority in the Lok Sabha for the NDA, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
A Calcutta High Court judge, Gaurang Kant, disclosed that his elder brother is a national spokesperson for the BJP while hearing Mamata Banerjee's petition challenging the Bhabanipur assembly seat poll result. Despite the disclosure, Banerjee's lawyer expressed full confidence in the judge.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee has accused the BJP government of conspiring against Indian citizens by deleting names from electoral rolls and diverting attention from core issues.
Government sources have clarified that a passport has never been considered proof of citizenship in India, a stance consistent for the past 12 years and rooted in the Passport Act 1967. This clarification, reiterated by the Ministry of External Affairs, has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and public figures.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and States regarding a plea alleging the misuse of Aadhaar cards as proof of citizenship, domicile, and residential address. The petition argues that despite legal provisions, Aadhaar is being used for purposes beyond identity verification, potentially aiding illegal immigrants, and calls for a comprehensive overhaul of electoral verification processes.
A clarification by the ministry of external affairs that the passport is not a proof of citizenship has once again brought to the fore the need for a legal framework to provide citizens with a single document to establish they are Indians.
Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, wife of former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide VK Pandian, has formally joined the BJD. Naveen Patnaik welcomed her, emphasising her experience as an IAS officer and her work with women. Patnaik also clarified that he would continue to lead the BJD in the next elections, despite speculation about Sujata taking over. Sujata expressed her dedication to serving the people of Odisha under Patnaik's leadership. Her entry into politics follows her husband's withdrawal after the BJD's recent electoral defeat.
The Monsoon session of Parliament is expected to begin on July 20 and last for three weeks. Key political developments, including recent election victories and party rebellions, are set to influence the session, alongside the government's redrafting of a significant Constitution amendment bill concerning women's reservation and Lok Sabha seats.
The EC also underlined that for electors whose enumeration forms have not returned, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would identify a probable cause, such as absent, shifted, dead and duplicate entry based on an inquiry from the nearby electors and would note the same.
A rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has taken control of the party's organisational headquarters in Kolkata. This move follows their claim to the party's name and symbol before the Election Commission, intensifying the power struggle with the Mamata Banerjee-led faction. Both sides are now preparing submissions for the Election Commission regarding the party's control.
The Gauhati high court observed that merely producing a number of documents does not automatically establish citizenship unless they are legally admissible and capable of proving the person's linkage to Indian ancestors.
Omar Abdullah has so far laboured hard to make best of a bad bargain. Even so, the ground reality is anything but reassuring. The Opposition parties, including notably the PDP, appear to be gaining ground, though more by default. Public patience with Omar's government has nearly run out, notes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a detailed constituency-wise disclosure of disenfranchisement caused by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
A rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has formally staked claim to the party's name and symbol before the Election Commission, alleging widespread support and opposing the current leadership's "dynastic politics." The main TMC leadership has strongly criticised the Election Commission for granting an audience to expelled members, accusing the BJP of influencing the poll body.
A caste recalibration is simmering just below the surface in UP.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee has accused the BJP government of conspiring against Indian citizens by deleting names from electoral rolls and diverting attention from core issues.
Dissident Trinamool Congress MPs have announced their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party and met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to request a separate seating arrangement, claiming two-thirds of TMC's Lok Sabha members support the move. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction, however, argues against recognising any separate group, citing anti-defection laws.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to hold a dharna in Kolkata against alleged arbitrary deletions in the state's electoral rolls, marking a return to her roots as a street fighter and signalling a key political battle ahead of Assembly elections.
The rejection of senior Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination papers transformed what should have been a routine Rajya Sabha election into a lesson in contemporary political warfare.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing a severe leadership crisis as former minister Jyoti Priya Mallick resigned from all party organisational posts citing health, and senior North Bengal leader Goutam Deb stepped down as mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, amidst widespread internal rifts and electoral setbacks.
The Election Commission has released the final electoral roll for Tamil Nadu, revealing a significant decrease in the number of voters due to deletions and new additions.
The NIA has filed chargesheets against 31 individuals in connection with road blockades and illegal detention of judicial officers in West Bengal's Malda district.
In an apparent reference to the buzz of six rebel Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MPs switching sides, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said this is just a trailer and the movie is yet to come, indicating more defections could be in offing in the rival faction.
The Kerala high court has ruled that elected local body representatives must take their oath strictly as prescribed by law, invalidating oaths that included names beyond "God" or solemn affirmation. The court directed affected councillors to retake their oaths within four weeks, clarifying that while their elections remain valid, actions by a panchayat member whose oath was invalid are also invalid.
Less than two months after ending the TMC's 15-year rule in the state, the BJP government is expected to table one of its most ambitious and politically sensitive promises, setting the stage for what could become the first major ideological confrontation of the post-election period.
