Politics

Maharashtra SIR: Over 2 crore names left off draft rolls; report finds uneven burden across regions and groups

A preliminary analysis of Maharashtra’s SIR-2026 draft roll by the Sabar Institute finds that 20.69 million names which is a significant 21.1 % of the state’s 97.9 million electors— close to one in five pre-revision electors — were missing in the draft electoral roll published on August 31, 2026; these voters were placed on the ASDD list; the report also identifies sharp geographical variations in the deletion

After some dithering, Odisha government rejects premature release of Graham Staines murder convict Dara Singh

Odisha Chief Minister, Mohan Charan Majhi, had in 2022, when he was a BJP legislator supported demands for Dara Singh’s early release, a demand vocalised by Sudarshan TV’s editor, Suresh Chavhanke

Why Swatantra Bhardwaj is a pawn in our politics

As a fellow Bihari and a native of Darbhanga, my heart goes out to the middle class parents who pawn jewellery and mortgage ancestral property to send their ladlas and ladlis to a big city…

BAPS, the Eiffel Tower and the curious silence on secularism

I was a little surprised to see how some...

Penguin’s Shenanigans

Penguin has repeatedly crossed the line between due diligence and outright censorship. Small publishers, who have a lot more to lose, seem to have more of a spine.

India’s middle‑class crisis: the great bifurcation and the Gen Z uprising

The student protests we have been witnessing in India can be...

Vande Mataram and the 2026 Amendment: From voluntary honour to penal coercion

While the slogan Vande Mataram galvanised millions during India’s struggle for liberation from the clutches of colonial rule, this essay demonstrates that the 2026 Amendment –that the BJP has orchestrated--does not represent historical continuity, but rather a contemporary majoritarian redefinition of a complex national symbol.

Beaten to Death Outside His Own Home: What Delhi owes Chongtham Vikram Singh

The 55-year-old Manipuri musician died after a group allegedly attacked him in southeast Delhi; seven men and a juvenile have been apprehended

‘Gauri Day’ Became ‘Gen Z Day’

When a memorial for the slain journalist Gauri Lankesh became a loud and renewed reiteration for more accountability, equality and justice in India

Comrade Sonya Gill: A life dedicated to the struggle for equality and justice

The sudden and shocking demise of Comrade Sonya Gill...

Maharashtra SIR draft rolls leave 2.07 crore electors out; Pune records highest exclusions at 28.66 lakh

Maharashtra's SIR draft electoral rolls have excluded over 2.07 crore names in the enumeration period: Pune has recorded the highest number of deletions; electors can file claims and objections until September 30

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Maharashtra SIR: Over 2 crore names left off draft rolls; report finds uneven burden across regions and groups

A preliminary analysis of Maharashtra’s SIR-2026 draft roll by the Sabar Institute finds that 20.69 million names which is a significant 21.1 % of the state’s 97.9 million electors— close to one in five pre-revision electors — were missing in the draft electoral roll published on August 31, 2026; these voters were placed on the ASDD list; the report also identifies sharp geographical variations in the deletion

SIR: ECI “removes Form 6 declaration” but serious questions on legality of procedure remain

The Election Commission has separated the SIR declaration from the statutory Form 6 after two Election Commissioners objected to its inclusion and one called the change “unauthorised/illegal”, the issue comes as the Supreme Court is hearing the separate question of requiring deleted Delhi voters to seek inclusion again through Form 6

Does the ECI’s Nov 6 communication signal a step-back on re-enrolment in the ASSD list?

SC petitioners Anjali Bharadwaj and Amrita Johri welcome ECI’s Nov 6 communication to seven states on facilitating inclusion of left-out voters

Assam: Gauhati HC quashes NSA detention of activist Pranab Doley

Doley was arrested in July this year for a protest against a hotel project near Kaziranga, and had been booked under the nefarious National Security Act (NSA) after a court granted him bail; Forum for Social Harmony, AMSU-AIKMS and BAA accuse the Assam government of criminalising land rights activism

West Bengal: Outpour of anguish from the Christian community over recent attacks on churches

Hundreds of people from the Christian community marched to Kolkata’s Esplanade on Thursday (November 5, 2026) in protest against the rising cases of mob attacks on churches across the state

Censorship: Government keen on stripping legal immunity for social media platforms

As reports of the Indian Union government’s moves to scrap the legal immunity guaranteed under Section 79 of the IT Act come in, with Indian Express, on November 5, yesterday reporting these moves, organisations advocating media freedom and accountability have expressed concern and alarm