Yogendra Yadav, on way to meet farmers, arrested in Tamil Nadu

Agencies

September 8, 2018

Tiruvannamalai, Sept 8: Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav was detained here Saturday when he was on his way to express solidarity with farmers protesting against the proposed Salem-Chennai Expressway project, police said.

Yadav and some others were detained at Chengam in this district, they said without elaborating.

The Swaraj Abhiyan leader tweeted that he was "manhandled" and pushed into a police van.

"We came on the invitation of Movement Against 8Lane Way. We were prevented from going to meet farmers, phones snatched, manhandled and pushed into police van. Firsthand experience of police state in TN," he said.

Yadav said he had come here for conducting a fact finding about acquisition when he was stopped from proceeding.

In another tweet, he said he had been lodged with some others in a marriage hall.

The Rs 10,000 crore eight-lane expressway connecting Salem and Chennai is being opposed by a section of farmers and landowners who do not want to part with their land.

DMK leader M K Stalin has condemned the "arbitrary detention.

"The DMK strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of @_SwarajIndia chief @_YogendraYadav who supported farmers affected by #ChennaiSalemExpressway project," he tweeted.

The "intolerant" AIADMK government will pay the price for denying people the democratic right to dissent and protest, Stalin added.

The project, a central government initiative being implemented by the Tamil Nadu government, aims to bring down the travel time between Salem and Chennai.

The state government has been insisting that it will also help address the issue of fatal accidents on this stretch, besides saving on fuel and vehicular wear and tear.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami said compensation being offered to landowners was more compared to the past, as the guideline value has increased.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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