According to a full-page advertisement issued by the Bihar CEO on July 5, voters in Bihar could submit their Enumeration Forms (EFs) by July 25. The article was originally published in The Tribune.
Risk of vanishing votes in Bihar’s revised roll
Interview: Half of Bihar could lose voting rights — ADR’s Jagdeep Chhokar sounds alarm on EC’s Bihar voter list revision
This was interviewed by Gulam Jeelani. The EC’s controversial voter list revision in Bihar raises concerns about potential citizen ‘disenfranchisement.’ With accusations of ‘unconstitutionality’ and risks of creating ‘second-class citizens,’ ADR’s Jagdeep Chhokar warns of dire implications if the move is not stopped. The Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in […]
Half of Bihar could lose voting rights: ADR’s Jagdeep Chhokar on EC’s voter list revision
This was interviewed by Gulam Jeelani. ADR co-founder Jagdeep Chhokar says that the Election Commission can conduct the revision exercise legally, but “that doesn’t mean you violate existing laws”. The Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar has triggered a political storm, with the opposition Congress dubbing it ‘a […]
In Bihar, Is the Election Commission Revising the Electoral Rolls or Compiling an NRC?
The procedure specified for the revision violates existing legal provisions that the ECI has been following for a long time. The schedule is impractical. It might also result in the disenfranchisement of a substantial number of electors of Bihar. First, the facts. The current term of the Bihar state assembly ends on November 22, 2025. […]
Now is the time to disclose the entire truth known to the ECI
Election Commission doesn’t share adequate voting-related information with people. That prevents a meaningful analysis of the electoral process. On June 8, this newspaper carried a report (‘Rahul’s attack on EC doesn’t match poll data, officials say bid to “defame”’) contradicting an op-ed on its Ideas Page (‘Match-fixing Maharashtra’, IE, June 7). The report was accompanied […]
AI and Elections in India | A need for better regulations
AI risks distorting information but also holds untapped potential to improve electoral campaigns and processes. To this end, prebunking must be used by all stakeholders Bihar’s political landscape is gradually heating up in the wake of the upcoming Assembly polls with political parties crafting campaigns to woo voters. The campaigns will soon be dominated by artificial intelligence […]
Let there be no room for confusion or cynicism
The Narendra Modi government must offer more details about the proposed caste census and share updates about anti-terror operations — this will put to rest misleading and malicious rumours April 30, 2025, will remain etched in India’s memory as a special day. Since morning, there was palpable excitement about a really big announcement from the […]
Give NOTA more teeth to cleanse electoral system
Instead of deriding NOTA as a toothless or failed idea, all stakeholders must combine to make it stronger ‘None of the above’ (NOTA) as an option was introduced in the EVMs on the basis of the Supreme Court judgement in the PUCL vs Union of India case of September 27, 2013. The court then stated, […]
Criminality in politics: A point of no return?
Disqualification at the stage of framing of charges, accompanied by other legal safeguards, could be an effective means to curb such criminalisation. EARLIER this week, while hearing a petition seeking a lifetime ban on convicted politicians, the Supreme Court observed that it found no logic in a convicted legislator being barred from contesting elections for […]
Congratulations, BJP, Opposition-Mukt Bharat Is Almost a Reality
I believe it is the institutions, or more specifically, institutional capture that has contributed very significantly to this success. Political commentary comes in two broad forms. The commentator either supports a particular ideology or political thinking, or tends or pretends to be neutral and tries to explain events or situations seemingly “objectively”. Regardless of the […]