Heavy security, long queues and missing Trinamool booth agents defined the opening hours of Falta repolling ordered by the Election Commission after alleged poll irregularities.
Over 1.13 lakh names have been deleted from Jammu and Kashmir’s Panchayat electoral rolls while 3.39 lakh new voters were added during the latest revision exercise, pushing the total electorate past 72.24 lakh ahead of the upcoming panchayat polls.
The Supreme Court on Thursday termed it “very unfortunate” that political parties demand an independent Election Commission when in opposition, but turn silent on the issue or take a completely contrary stand once in power, even as the court was told that free and fair elections — a part of the basic structure of the Constitution — necessarily presuppose an independent and impartial Election Commission.
After losing ground in key constituencies, Mamata Banerjee accused authorities of unfair practices, questioned the election outcome’s legitimacy, and signalled a political fight ahead for her party.
ECI enforces strict counting rules in Bengal, stopping Abhishek Banerjee at a Kolkata centre while issuing directions over mobile phone violations during Bhabanipur vote counting.
BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said the Gandhi scion suffers from what he called "Entitled Child Syndrome."
The grand old party also said that a unique voter id for every Indian voter is the fundamental requirement and premise of a clean voter list.
Kumar had joined ECI as Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020 and assumed charge as the 25th CEC of India on May 15, 2022.
The ruling Trinamul Congress is gearing up to move the Election Commission on alleged bogus voters. This, after chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed apprehensions on Wednesday that bogus voters may vitiate the voters’ list ahead of 2026 Assembly polls.
In a setback for former Tamil Nadu chief minister E K Palaniswami, the Madras High Court on Wednesday gave the go ahead for the Election Commission to proceed with petitions on intra-party disputes in the AIADMK and challenging the legitimacy of the present leadership.
