Politics

“Inside the SIR”: Booklet flags ‘mechanical disenfranchisement’ in electoral roll revision

CJP–VFD publication combines training manual and ground documentation to question ongoing voter verification exercise

“Let there be CHRISTMAS…”!

December 2025Let there be Christmas to help us realise...

SIR 2025 in Bengal: 5 Key Takeaways That Strike at BJP’s ‘Infiltration’ Bogey

As the state heads toward the 2026 elections, the battle lines have shifted. The issue is no longer just about who gets to vote, but the validation of the voter themselves, with the data proving that those accused of being “outsiders” are, in fact, the most settled insiders of all.

India’s New Labour Codes: A critical appraisal

With the Government officially rolling out its long-discussed labour reforms, India stands at a crossroads. Do the new Codes advance labour rights — or do they quietly shift the balance of power toward employers under the guise of reform?

Kerala MP protests RSS’ attempt to “infuse Christmas” with sectarian song

John Brittas, CPI-M Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha has strongly protested RSS/BJP move to impose an ‘ideologically affiliated song during Christmas celebrations’; he has made the letter to the Union Minister, J, Scindia, public in social media

India’s Long Slide on Freedom: Reading the Human Freedom Index 2025

The Human Freedom Index 2025 , published in the...

Appeal to Parliamentarians against repeal of MNREGA: Dr Manoj Jha & activists

Dr Manoj Jha, academic activist associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and also a member of the Rajya Sabha has appealed to the fellow parliamentarians against repealing the forward looking and empowering Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 and replacing it with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025; meanwhile senior activists have also protested this move

Labour Rights Endangered: Four labour codes passed without worker or state governments’ consultation or consent

The Peoples’ Commission on Public Sector and Services comprising of well-known academics and former government servants apart from public intellectuals has called for the immediate revocation of the recently, unilaterally enacted Four Labour Codes; demanded that existing labour laws be brought fully in alignment with the letter and spirit of the Directive Principles of the Constitution and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to which India is a signatory

The Cross Bat Conversation: Air, antiques and force majeure

The author, brings attention to crucial issues affecting our society and state through his unique brand of satire

When Power Forgets Consent: How a public act by the Bihar Chief Minister derailed a doctor’s career

Outrage widens after CM Nitish Kumar pulls down Muslim woman doctor’s hijab at appointment ceremony; FIRs filed, media barred, national leaders condemn act

West Bengal Draft Electoral List: Over 58 lakh names deleted under SIR exercise, urban seats & Hindi speakers see higher voter deletions

Surprises afoot in store for the politically entrenched as the bogey of “infiltration” stands exposed; border minority areas show better documentation and inclusion in the Draft Electoral Roll for West Bengal published yesterday, December 16

Trending

Related VIDEOS

ALL STORIES

ALL STORIES

When History substitutes Governance: Hindutva’s Politics of Manufacturing Pasts

Inventing kings, rebranding dynasties, and fabricating history to mask policy failure and engineer caste-communal politics

Fractured Fault lines: Violence, governance gaps, and rising tensions across Odisha

From church vandalism and communal flashpoints to tribal resistance, welfare exclusions, and political impunity—recent developments point to deepening fault lines in Odisha’s social and administrative landscape

“Inside the SIR”: Booklet flags ‘mechanical disenfranchisement’ in electoral roll revision

CJP–VFD publication combines training manual and ground documentation to question ongoing voter verification exercise

Censorship and the Drumbeats of Hate: Mapping the state of free speech ahead of the 2026 polls

A new report by Free Speech Collective traces five years of censorship, criminalisation of dissent, and the rise of hate-driven political discourse across Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry—raising urgent questions about the conditions for free and fair elections

AERO dies by suicide in Kolkata, family alleges extreme election duty pressure and humiliation

A 48-year-old Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) died by suicide in South Kolkata’s Bansdroni area after consuming pesticide, the tragic death of Malabika Roy Bhattacharyya has sparked serious concerns regarding the immense pressure placed on government officials tasked with SIR/Election duties, with her family explicitly blaming the ECI for the extreme workload

UP’s syncretic warrior cults facing Hindutva challenge

Be it the attack on the Gogamedi shrine in the Hanumangarh district of northern Rajasthan or the Neja Mela in the Sambhal district of western Uttar Pradesh, Hindutva’s systemic attack on India’s syncretic traditions, past and present, reveals its rigid and Brahmanical ideological orientation: imposition of a strictly hierarchical, exclusionary and structured notion of faith and practice

No Hearing, No Notice, Just Deletion: How Bengal’s SIR Erased a Decorated IAF Officer

The removal of Wing Commander Md Shamim Akhtar, who served the nation for 17 years, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) highlights a systemic lack of due process that threatens the voting rights of even the most distinguished citizens

An Adivasi woman once in bonded labour now serves her village as a Sarpanch

As India marks 50 years of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, cases of bonded labour still surface in states like Telangana where many workers in sectors such as agriculture, brick kilns, fishing and construction remain trapped in debt and coercion; here the author reflects on a transformative journey of an Adivasi woman who serves as a Sarpanch.