Publish names of 65 lakh Bihar voters removed from list, give reasons: SC tells EC

News Network

August 14, 2025

New Delhi, Aug 14: The Supreme Court today directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish the names of 65 lakh people removed from Bihar’s voter list, along with the reasons for their deletion, on official websites. The court said the list must be widely publicised so that every voter can check it easily.

The order came during the hearing of petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.

“We want transparency”

Justice Surya Kant noted that the ECI admitted 22 lakh of the removed names belonged to deceased persons. “If 22 lakh people have died, why is it not disclosed at the booth level? We do not want citizens’ rights to depend on political parties,” he remarked.

The court said the full list of removed voters — those who were on the 2025 roll but not on the draft list — must:

• Be posted on district-level ECI websites with reasons for deletion.

• Be publicised in vernacular newspapers with maximum reach, on Doordarshan, and other TV channels.

• Be displayed on the notice boards of all panchayat bhawans, block offices, and panchayat offices.

• Be shared on district election officers’ social media handles if available.

Public access online and offline

The court emphasised that the list must also be searchable by EPIC number so voters can verify their status online. Aggrieved voters may file claims with a copy of their Aadhaar cards to restore their names.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked how many names were missing from the draft list after the revision. Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll body, said: “65 lakhs are not there, 22 lakhs are dead.” He added that anyone wrongly marked as deceased can approach officials to get their name restored.

“We are asking for more transparency… people must be able to check their names independently,” Justice Bagchi said. Justice Kant added, “Anita Devi should know that if she goes to this website, she can find out how to get her name back.”

The case will be heard next on August 22.

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‘This is how it began in Gujarat’: Modi outlines BJP’s political ambitions in Kerala

News Network

January 23,2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

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