Karnataka's final electoral roll, published on Tuesday, shows a significant reduction of nearly one crore voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, bringing the total count to 4.55 crore from 5.54 crore.
The Supreme Court has questioned the Election Commission's decision to allot the Shiv Sena's bow-and-arrow symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction, asking if the possibility of denying the symbol to both factions was adequately considered. The court also raised concerns about using legislative majority as a test while disqualification proceedings against MLAs were pending. The Shinde faction argued for the validity of the legislative majority test, citing significant vote share and legal precedents.
Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has called for greater transparency and fairness in the electoral processes of India's sports governance system, highlighting an inconsistency between the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Constitution and the rules followed during recent Sportspersons of Merit (SOM) elections.
The INDIA bloc has formulated a joint action plan to address the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) row and concerns over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Following a meeting of key opposition leaders, the alliance announced a series of "save democracy" marches, demonstrations, and a march to the Election Commission, demanding a return to ballot papers for elections and alleging electoral malpractices by the ruling government.
A rebel Trinamool Congress faction, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has named candidates for two assembly bypolls in West Bengal, directly challenging the Mamata Banerjee-led camp. This move escalates the internal party battle, particularly over the 'twin flowers' symbol, which both factions claim. The Election Commission is currently reviewing the dispute, and the bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar will serve as a crucial electoral test for both sides.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged CEC Gyanesh Kumar to resign and turn approver, stating the opposition's fight is against the "bigger powers" behind him.
The factional fight of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has reached the doorstep of the Election Commission, with the group led by Ajit Pawar filing over 40 affidavits of MLAs and MPs in his support.
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea challenging the resignations of six AIADMK MLAs who subsequently joined the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The court affirmed that resignation and disqualification are distinct constitutional processes, upholding the Speaker's acceptance of the resignations and stating that the Speaker was not required to inquire into motives.
The Bharatiya Janata Party received nearly Rs 1,473 crore at its central headquarters alone during the last five state assembly elections, more than seven times the Rs 207 crore in net receipts reported by the Congress across its central and state units, according to expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission.
Gujarat CID-Crime has registered FIRs against three political outfits Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party, Satyavadi Rakshak Party, and Garib Kalyan Party for allegedly orchestrating a 'poll donation scam' amounting to Rs 314 crore in tax evasion. These parties reportedly collected donations, returned money after deducting commissions, and facilitated tax rebates for donors, with chartered accountants also implicated. The scam involved submitting false contribution reports to the Election Commission.
Former Chief Election Commissioners have voiced strong objections to reported 'illegal' changes in voter registration Form 6 and the centralisation of electoral roll control, raising serious concerns about the integrity of future elections.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Saturday demanded punishment for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid an ongoing political row over the SIR exercise, declaring that "Kala Pani" is the appropriate punishment for Kumar based on the magnitude of his position and the alleged gravity of his misconduct.
Unless the Congress stops seeing a CIA and RSS in everyone who disagrees with it, many well-meaning people will find it difficult to rub shoulders with Rahul Gandhi, notes M R Narayan Swamy.
Delhi Police has denied permission for a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, leading to the closure of 11 metro stations and heightened security. Various political parties and student unions are demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
As CEC Gyanesh Kumar faces protests over electoral roll revisions, a 20-year-old Kerala corruption case resurfaces.
The Election Commission of India has told the Delhi high court that two voters, whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls after they could not complete the enumeration process during the Special Intensive Revision in the national capital, can fill Form 6 for redressal of their grievance.
Delhi Police has equipped frontline officers in the New Delhi area with body-worn cameras to enhance accountability and provide evidence during protests and crowd management. This initiative follows recent allegations of misconduct against police personnel, including sexual harassment, during demonstrations, and aims to ensure transparency in interactions between police and protesters.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress has unveiled a new logo featuring a football player as its interim election symbol. This move comes after the Election Commission froze the party's original name and symbol due to an internal dispute. The new symbol, along with the name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress', will be used in the upcoming October 6 bypolls, with the faction actively publicising it to familiarise voters.
Indian para-athlete Suvarna Raj won the gold medal in the women's F54 discus throw at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, achieving a best effort of 15.66m.
The Opposition India bloc has threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This move comes as the Opposition plans a joint agitation and highlights the constitutional process for removing a CEC, which mirrors that of a Supreme Court judge.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has strongly criticised the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating it is 'focussed more on exclusion' and has 'played havoc with democracy' by disturbing free and fair elections.
Opposition parties, led by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, plan to march to the Supreme Court on Monday to meet the Chief Justice of India. They aim to submit a memorandum regarding alleged 'vote chori' and demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, halting of SIR, and a return to paper ballots. The protest follows widespread detentions during previous demonstrations, which the opposition condemns as an assault on democracy.
The Election Commission of India has revised instructions for the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, allowing voters served notices for "No Mapping" or "Logical Discrepancy" categories to avoid physical appearance. Booth Level Officers will collect documents at residences, and submissions can also be made via WhatsApp or during special camps, ensuring a more accessible process for electors.
India's Election Commission's centralised voter database systems, ERONET and ECINet, are under scrutiny following concerns raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding the centralisation of electoral rolls and control available to state election officials. The article explains how these systems work and why they are currently in the news.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to disclose details of his foreign trips to the public, saying they have a right to know since he was the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The Election Commission has announced that elections for 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal will take place on October 16. This includes 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh, one from Uttarakhand, and a bypoll in West Bengal, with significant implications for party representation, particularly for the BJP and BSP.
The Calcutta High Court has verbally directed the West Bengal government to allow Congress' Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan to contest the election properly, provided he secures bail in five criminal cases. Pradhan was recently arrested in connection with multiple long-pending cases, raising questions about his ability to campaign for the upcoming bypoll.
Former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi has claimed that Delhi Police questioned him for nearly nine hours over social media posts concerning the Election Commission of India, and did not allow him to inform his wife about his whereabouts for several hours, alleging a "blatant violation" of Supreme Court guidelines.
The Election Commission of India clarified to the Bombay High Court that the absence of a voter's name from a draft Special Intensive Revision (SIR) roll does not equate to deletion, as SIR is a fresh preparation of the electoral roll. This clarification came during a hearing on a writ petition filed by a Goa resident whose family's names were missing from the SIR roll. The court has reserved its verdict.
Padma Shri awardee Harekal Hajabba has received an election notice due to a name mismatch in the electoral rolls. While his official documents identify him as "Harekal Hajabba," the 2002 electoral roll listed him simply as "Hajabba." He is confident the issue will be resolved after presenting his documents to local authorities.
Israel's Election Commission is counting 'double envelope' votes, with Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud projected to be the largest party but his bloc falling short of a majority. The opposition bloc, along with Arab parties, holds a potential majority, leading to calls for a Jewish-Arab coalition to form a government and keep Netanyahu out. Negotiations are set to begin as President Herzog urges against another election.
In Rajasthan's recent urban local body elections, several candidates experienced unusual results. A BJP candidate and a Congress candidate each secured only one vote, while an RLP candidate received zero votes. These outcomes occurred across different municipalities in Didwana-Kuchaman, Nagaur, and Balotra districts, with one candidate alleging foul play in the vote count.
The Union home ministry has extended the deployment of 273 Central Armed Police Forces companies in Delhi until October 31, anticipating potential "flash protests" from political and other groups across the national capital.
The opposition INDIA bloc held a massive rally in Delhi, accusing the BJP of 'vote chori' and electoral irregularities, with Rahul Gandhi asserting that CEC Gyanesh Kumar will be jailed for treason and legal action will be taken against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
India's Sports Ministry has announced the formation of a 20-member National Sports Election Panel (NSEP), including two former Chief Election Commissioners, to oversee fair elections in national sports bodies. This panel, mandated by the National Sports Governance Act 2025, aims to streamline electoral processes. Additionally, the deadline for applications to the National Sports Tribunal (NST), which will handle sports disputes, has been extended.
The Bombay High Court's Goa bench has criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) for rejecting voter registration forms (Form 8s) during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The court emphasised that the ECI's primary objective is to ensure citizens can cast votes and that rejecting forms, even if incorrectly submitted, goes against this principle. The case arose from a petition by a family whose names were deleted from the voters' list after their Form 8s for address change were rejected.
The Indian government has ordered the removal of Jack Dorsey's Bitchat app from app stores in India, citing law-and-order concerns. The Bluetooth messaging app, which allows offline communication, was previously scrutinised during protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and has now been pulled from both Apple's App Store and the Play Store following the IT Ministry's directive.
Supreme Court Justice Dipankar Datta has strongly criticised the 2023 law for selecting the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners, arguing that the executive's dominant role in the selection committee creates a 'shadow of doubt' over the Election Commission's independence, even if appointments are meritorious.
Rahul Gandhi dramatically shifted the INDIA bloc's protest after their march to the Election Commission was stopped and leaders were detained. He entered Akashvani Bhavan, leading to a standoff and a continued sit-in joined by other opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, to protest against alleged threats to democracy.
The Cockroach Janta Party has pledged to continue its protests, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
