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The Latest Breaking News from The Election Commission

Why did TMC candidate Jahangir Khan withdraw from Falta just 2 days before repoll?

Why did TMC's Jahangir Khan withdraw: Just days before the Falta repoll in West Bengal, TMC candidate Jahangir Khan abruptly withdrew from the contest, citing a “special package” announced for the constituency and his desire for peace and development in the area. While the TMC called it his “personal decision,”…

The Economic Times

EC orders probe into voting by foreigners in Tamil Nadu polls, 10 held in Chennai

The Election Commission has ordered a probe into allegations of foreign nationals voting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. Police arrested ten foreign nationals attempting to fly out after noticing indelible ink on their fingers. These individuals, from Sri Lanka, the UK, and Canada, allegedly used fraudulent Indian ID documents.…

The Economic Times

Election Commission to conduct special electoral roll revision in Maharashtra for 9.86 crore voters

The Election Commission of India will conduct a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. This exercise will involve Booth Level Officers visiting nearly 9.86 crore voters' homes for verification. Political parties will assist to ensure accuracy. The process includes training, house-to-house verification, and publication of draft and final…

The Economic Times

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EC rolls out SIR Phase III across India except J&K, Ladakh & Himachal Pradesh

The Election Commission of India has launched Phase III of its Special Intensive Revision exercise. This initiative will update electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union Territories. Nearly 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers will conduct door-to-door verification of 36.73 crore voters. Political parties will support the process through 3.42…

The Economic Times

Could Deleted Votes Have Changed 31 Bengal Seats?

What happens when the number of deleted voters becomes bigger than the winning margin in an election seat? That question is now at the centre of a major political and legal debate in West Bengal after All India Trinamool Congress made explosive claims before the Supreme Court of India. The…

MyLifeXP

In BJP-EC's 'chor bazaar', bigger the theft, bigger the reward: Rahul Gandhi's dig at WB govt appointments

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the recent appointments in West Bengal, likening the situation to a 'chor bazaar' orchestrated by the BJP alongside the Election Commission.

The Economic Times

Who is IITian Manoj Agarwal, West Bengal’s new chief secretary, and why is the opposition criticising his appointment?

Senior IAS officer Manoj Agarwal has been appointed as the new chief secretary of West Bengal. This appointment has sparked controversy, with opposition parties alleging political favouritism due to Agarwal's recent role as Chief Electoral Officer during the state's Assembly elections.

The Economic Times

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4 tests, 1 question: Did SIR shape Bengal outcome?

On May 4, the BJP clinched 207 of 294 seats in West Bengal. It was historic. So was what preceded it.

Newslaundry

‘Encounter specialist’ as Bengal poll guardian: When an observer becomes a ‘viral hero’

In a News18 India segment posted on X today, the thumbnail read: “Singham Ki Entry: Kiski Hogi Victory” (Singham's entry: Whose victory will it be?). On one side sat a cutout of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee; on the other, a stylised, cinematic-style photo of IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma racking…

Newslaundry

Key Indian state heads to polls amid controversy over millions losing voting rights

ON THE GROUND: Former government workers and even security officers on election duty are among millions stripped of the right to vote in West Bengal’s knife-edge polls. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports from Kolkata

The Independent UK

Deleted despite documents: Inside West Bengal’s ‘political’ SIR

The run-up to elections in West Bengal has been anything but normal. The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has led to the exclusion of nearly 90 lakh voters from the electoral rolls. Of these, 27 lakh were excluded after being placed “under adjudication” over “logical discrepancies” in their documents,…

Newslaundry

Appellate tribunals or a black hole? Where the Bengal SIR goes to bury a ‘second chance’

The Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation, which houses all 19 appellate tribunals set up by the Election Commission in West Bengal, is completely restricted. CAPF and West Bengal Police guard the gates, and no one is allowed in unless the judges have formally summoned them.

Newslaundry

Bengal’s migrant workers caught between ‘ghuspaithiya’ politics and SIR deletions

Md Anikul Hoque, a migrant labourer from Samserganj in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, has waited through many crises. He stood in queues for food, water, and cash during demonetisation in 2016. He worked through the Covid-19 lockdown inside sealed buildings in Odisha “like a thief in a prison” waiting to…

Newslaundry

‘Bid to move us to Bangladesh’: At the Bengal poll booths where every second voter is gone

Gajol SK’s name was deleted from West Bengal’s voter rolls. Now he is afraid of what comes next.

Newslaundry

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Newslaundry

A father, a beneficiary, ex-BLO: The SIR chaos queue in a Bengal district

Aftab Alam gave his primary school examination at Krishnanath School in Titagarh in 1976. He is 64 now. Today, he was back at the same school. It was not for any reunion, but to prove he has the right to vote.

Newslaundry

Infiltration, SIR, ‘washing machine’ | The Suvendu Adhikari interview

With West Bengal heading to the polls in just two weeks, credible reports indicate that the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has disenfranchised millions of voters. The SIR exercise, the opposition TMC alleges, has been designed to pave the way for a BJP victory.

Newslaundry

EC’s app was used to file fake voter forms before 2024 Maharashtra polls. The probe hasn’t moved

In the weeks before the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, someone used the Election Commission of India’s own Voter Helpline App to file hundreds of fake voter registration applications in a single constituency – using forged Aadhaar cards, nonexistent addresses, and the stolen data of Mumbai college students.

The Times of India

'PM Modi should be invited': BNP's diplomatic tone ahead of Tarique Rahman's swearing-in

Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan suggested inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the swearing-in ceremony of BNP chief Tarique Rahman, who is set to become the next Prime Minister. The BNP secured a landslide victory in the general elections, marking their return to power after nearly…

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The Times of India

BNP set to return to power after 20 years; Jamaat’s bid falls short — Bangladesh election highlights

Bangladesh's Nationalist Party appears poised for a landslide victory in the recent parliamentary elections, with preliminary results showing a commanding lead. Party chief Tarique Rahman is expected to become the next Prime Minister. However, the main opposition, the Awami League, has denounced the polls as a 'well-planned farce' and alleged…

The Times of India

'Over 50% polling stations centres': How Bangladesh is preparing for first election since Hasina ouster

Bangladesh is holding parliamentary elections amidst unprecedented security following the ouster of former PM Sheikh Hasina. Over half of polling centres are deemed risk-prone, prompting a massive deployment of nearly 9.58 lakh security personnel. For the first time, drones and body-worn cameras will monitor the process, aiming for a peaceful…

Newslaundry

‘How can you remove names without checking?’: Inside Prayagraj’s battle over voter lists

The release of the draft electoral rolls under UP’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has left many residents of Prayagraj’s western and southern assembly constituencies anxious. Since January 11, the Election Commission has set up claims and objections booths across the city.

Newslaundry

SC’s baffling bail order rattled the press. Voter rolls exercise should terrify it

It is rare for India’s mainstream media to speak with one voice on an issue that makes the government uncomfortable. It is remarkable, therefore, that almost every major newspaper made strong editorial comments about the recent Supreme Court ruling granting bail to five of those implicated in the 2020 Delhi…

Newslaundry

How we broke the voter roll story before it became a national conversation

More than a year ago, when I began looking into possible manipulation of voter rolls, the first person to help me understand it was Dr SY Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Reason

Councilman's Threatening Outside Counsel Law Firm into Firing Attorney May Violate First Amendment

"A Nashville city councilman threatened to withdraw business from a law firm, which served as the city's outside counsel, due to the position one of its attorneys took as the chair of the county election commission on a tax referendum."

Newslaundry

‘Inhuman work pressure’: Inside the SIR crisis pushing poll workers to the edge

A nationwide effort to clean up India’s voter rolls seems to be spiralling into a crisis for the people meant to carry it out. At least five Booth Level Officers across 12 states and union territories have died by suicide during the second phase of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive…

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