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The Disturbing Return of 'Scientific Rigging' Charges

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

|

July 08, 2025

The Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is turning into a political confrontation that's threatening to spread like wildfire to the four states and one Union territory due for assembly polls in 2026.

- SHIKHA MUKERJEE

The documentary proofs required to verify citizenship under the new SIR rules are highly unusual. It seems not all citizens are presumed equal in the eyes of the Election Commission. Voters who have been enrolled after 2003, when the previous SIR was conducted, need a new set of documents that effectively delegitimizes Aadhaar, voter IDs, ration cards, MGNREGA job cards, and even passports. In 2025, voters need to produce birth certificates for themselves and their parents, land deeds, and revenue receipts.

By adding this new list of documents, the EC has inserted itself into the vicious political clash that routinely descends into accusations of being 'anti-national', converting the accuser into a self-appointed vigilante. The disruptive format and the obvious rush to get it done have transformed the Bihar election into a confrontation between the EC and non-NDA political parties. The face-off will likely spread to West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, where the next round of elections are scheduled in 2026.

The list of additional documents demanded is problematic for more reasons than one. Neither the Union home ministry nor the police in states that have recently embarked on a mission to identify and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh accept land deeds, school certificates, revenue receipts, pension records, caste, or other certificates as proof of citizenship. As it happens, some deportees submitted land deeds, school certificates, and revenue receipts going back beyond a generation.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

Relief as $1L H-1B fee does not apply to US visa holders

A month after US President Donald Trump’s proclamation jacking up the fee for H1-B visas to a steep $100,000 caused panic among international students and professionals, the US government has now clarified that the fee won’t apply to most current visa holders and recent international graduates.

time to read

1 min

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

Tata Trusts reappoints Venu Srinivasan for life

TATA Trusts, which owns and controls the $180-billion Tata empire, has ‘unanimously’ reappointed Venu Srinivasan, chairman emeritus of the TVS Group, as a trustee for life.

time to read

1 min

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

PK SAYS BJP FORCING HIS CANDIDATES TO OPT OUT OF CONTEST

JAN Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on BJP alleging that three of his party candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections withdrew their nominations under “pressure” from the ruling party.

time to read

1 min

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

AT LEAST 30 REBELS GIVE NDA, OPPN A HEADACHE

30 REBELS GIVE NDA, OPPN A HEADACHE

time to read

1 mins

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

Gajapati rejects ISKCON's alibi on untimely Rath Yatras

WITH ISKCON reluctant to host its Rath Yatra in overseas countries as per the tradition of Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb in a strong worded letter on Tuesday asked the organisation to honour the sacred scriptures and traditions followed at Srimandir.

time to read

1 min

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

Two dons-turned-politicians draw battle lines on Mokama poll turf

BATTLE lines have been drawn in Bihar’s Mokama assembly constituency ahead of the first-phase polls on November 6, as two don-turned-politicians, Anant Singh and Surajbhan Singh, prepare for a high-octane electoral clash.

time to read

2 mins

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

FIR against former Punjab DGP, ex-minister wife over son’s death

FORMER Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa, his wife and former minister Razia Sultana, along with their daughter and daughter-in-law, have been booked for murder and criminal conspiracy by Haryana Police in connection with the death of their 35-year-old son, Agil Akhter.

time to read

1 mins

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

Capital sees three-fold deterioration in AQI, noise pollution surge

THE state capital witnessed a threefold deterioration in air quality on Diwali on Monday as people burst firecrackers till late in the night, violating the two-hour limit set by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).

time to read

1 mins

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

EC: Print ads a day before or poll date need pre-certification

AHEAD of assembly polls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued an order saying to ensure a fair campaign environment, no party, candidate, organisation or person shall publish any advertisement in print media on poll day and one day prior to the poll day, unless the contents are pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.

time to read

1 min

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Bhubaneswar

WASTE LAND: A NATION OF LANDFILLS

SOME years ago, I was editing a newspaper in Mumbai and we ran a report on the city’s eternal garbage problem.

time to read

3 mins

October 22, 2025

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