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ISLAMABAD: Bihar&rsquo;s chief minister Nitish Kumar&rsquo;s pre-poll INR140 billion women&rsquo;s welfare payout has triggered an Indian Opposition uproar after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept to victory in Bihar, according to an Indian media report. The alliance -- which is led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s Bharatiya Janata Party -- in Bihar registered a clear victory on Friday (Nov. 14), with chief minister Kumar set for a fifth consecutive term, as the coalition won 202 of the 243 seats in the state. The large-scale direct benefit scheme, dubbed the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (MMRY), credited INR10,000 each to over 10 million women just days before the Election Commission of India announced the polling dates for the 243-member assembly.&nbsp; At least INR140 billion was disbursed, according to the media report. The Indian Opposition&rsquo;s anger has only grown since Friday.&nbsp; Last-minute welfare push&nbsp;Opposition leaders say Nitish Kumar&rsquo;s last-minute welfare push shaped voter behavior. Senior Indian journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has called it &ldquo;vote khareedi&rdquo; elections or &ldquo;vote buying&rdquo; elections in a vlog on his official YouTube channel. &ldquo;Why do you need to steal votes when you can buy them?&rdquo; Sardesai said. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar, a veteran from the INDIA bloc&#39;s side of the political spectrum, said on Saturday that the scheme &ldquo;generated a favorable effect for NDA&quot;, citing a similar pattern during the Maharashtra elections, according to the report.&nbsp; Higher women&rsquo;s voter turnout&nbsp;According to poll panel data, women&rsquo;s turnout in Bihar was 72%, significantly higher than men&rsquo;s 63%, which is being seen as a major factor boosting Nitish Kumar&#39;s pro-women image in general, the report states. Scheme timing and money transfer&nbsp;The Bihar cabinet cleared the MMRY scheme on Aug. 29.&nbsp; Under the scheme, 14.1 million women received INR10,000 each before polling. Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally launched MMRY on Sept. 26.&nbsp; Opposition smells a rat&nbsp;On Oct. 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the election schedule, which prompted the Opposition to become suspicious soon after. Opposition parties allege that one instalment of the payout was released on the very day elections were announced, and note that state-funded advertisements in October highlighted upcoming payment dates of November. Reflecting on the results, Mukesh Sahani of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) from the Mahagathbandhan, whose party drew a blank, argued that &ldquo;our mothers and sisters who live in poverty felt that the money would change their lives.&quot; &ldquo;Naturally, they voted for that promise,&rdquo; he said, calling the scheme &ldquo;a clear case of the government using state money as a campaign lever.&rdquo; &lsquo;Breach of code&rsquo;The poll code of conduct bars governments from announcing new financial grants or using public funds in ways that may influence voters from the moment elections are declared. The guidelines state that the party in power &ldquo;shall not use its official position for the purposes of its election campaign&rdquo; and that it cannot issue new financial promises or disbursements once the code is active. Opposition parties argue that continuing MMRY payments after Oct. 6 constituted a breach of the code. &lsquo;Mute spectator&rsquo;&nbsp;Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar asked why the ECI allowed distribution of scheme funds &ldquo;during Bihar polls.&rdquo; The ECI has not issued any formal clarification on the matter so far.&nbsp; Officials have maintained informally that schemes approved and notified before the MCC cannot be halted unless a new benefit is announced or expanded, a distinction the commission has made in other states, according to the Indian media report. But this has not been the case with the poll body always; it has strictly intervened in the past.&nbsp; According to the report, the ECI stopped the Andhra Pradesh government from disbursing INR141.65 billion under six direct benefit transfer schemes days before voting. The commission held that although funds were released earlier, the timing of the transfer, May 10 and 11, just before polling, could influence voters. The report said that in Tamil Nadu, the poll authorities have twice in the past two decades taken strong action against ongoing welfare schemes. The schemes were already under implementation before the election schedule was announced, the report said. According to another Indian media report, Congress&#39;s Ashok Gehlot blamed the Election Commission for being a &quot;mook darshak&quot; (mute spectator) as money was distributed during the polls, suggesting it was a form of &quot;vote chori&quot; (vote theft).

Asia

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s pre-poll INR140 billion women’s welfare payout sparked Opposition outrage, with critics alleging 'vote buying;' NDA’s landslide win followed, fueled by high female turnout, while the Election Commission remains allegedly ‘mute’ over the matter.

India's Bihar pre-poll ₹140B women’s payout sparks outrage

ISLAMABAD: India&rsquo;s opposition leaders on Saturday criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a large-scale voter purge that they say helped the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) clinch 128 constituencies in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections.&nbsp;Leaders from the Kerala unit of the Congress party said their review of Election Commission of India data showed that &ldquo;genuine voters were removed&rdquo; during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the process disproportionately targeted &ldquo;poor and vulnerable communities.&rdquo;&nbsp;According to the party, &ldquo;no illegal immigrants were found,&rdquo; contradicting long-standing claims used to justify extensive deletions.&nbsp;Calling the exercise a &ldquo;purge,&rdquo; Kerala Congress leaders warned that the SIR process represented a broader strategy.&nbsp;&ldquo;If we do not realize the game plan of the BJP,&rdquo; the party said, &ldquo;it will quietly remove each one of us from the list, add dummy Brazilians in our place, cast votes on our behalf, and keep winning elections forever.&rdquo;&nbsp;The NDA won 202 out of 243 seats in the final tally, with the BJP securing 89 seats and its ally Janata Dal (United) winning 85. The opposition Mahagathbandhan, including the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal, suffered heavy losses, while Jan Suraaj failed to win a single seat.&nbsp;The result marks the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-seat mark in Bihar, previously achieving 206 seats in 2010.&nbsp;Opposition figures argue that the voter purge was paired with communal polarization. Critics have long accused the Modi government of deploying anti-Muslim rhetoric, with Indian Muslims, particularly in border districts such as Seemanchal, &nbsp;labeled &ldquo;Bangladeshi infiltrators&rdquo; to influence electoral behavior along religious and linguistic lines.&nbsp;The SIR drive reportedly struck more than 6.5 million voters from the rolls, including approximately 600,000 Muslims and 1.6 million women. In some Muslim-majority areas, deletions reportedly reached 10% of registered voters. Meanwhile, several districts recorded unexplained increases in voter counts, prompting concerns about the addition of bogus entries.&nbsp;Investigations cited by opposition figures also point to instances where local BJP officials allegedly submitted letters requesting the deletion of Muslim voters, requests that, according to critics, were not acted upon transparently.&nbsp;Beyond the electoral impact, community leaders say the deletions have deepened mistrust and strained interfaith relations in several Muslim-majority districts.&nbsp;Analysts warn the controversy reflects a growing crisis in India&rsquo;s electoral system, with one senior opposition figure cautioning that &ldquo;Indian democracy cannot remain inclusive when millions of citizens are quietly erased from voter lists.&rdquo;

India

Opposition leaders say the Special Intensive Revision wrongly deleted millions of genuine voters, especially Muslims and women, calling it a targeted purge that helped the BJP-led NDA win Bihar.

Indian opposition criticizes ruling BJP of voter purge driving Bihar election victory

ISLAMABAD: Questions are being raised about the integrity of voter records after multiple allegations of duplicate voting surfaced during the recent elections in the Indian state of Bihar.&nbsp; The claims, backed by images, EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) details, and voting-day photographs, were shared publicly on X by AltNews Co-Founder Muhammad Zubair, who called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and local authorities to respond. According to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, journalist Zubair was detained for religious expression and reporting, arrested in June 2022 over a 2018 tweet amid controversy over the BJP&#39;s remarks on Islam.&nbsp; The Supreme Court granted interim bail, leading to his release. The Indian journalist and fact checker, Zubair, wrote on X that &ldquo;proof&rdquo; had been shared of &ldquo;people voting in two different places,&rdquo; adding that the individuals flagged were ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders or workers. &ldquo;We have shared the names of the people (BJP leaders/workers) with proof (two EPIC IDs, and their photos of them voting in two states),&rdquo; he posted. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 753px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1988993837029814372&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> BJP leader Thakur&rsquo;s caseAccording to the Indian journalist, Ranjan Kumar Thakur, a BJP leader from Delhi, allegedly voted twice, first in Delhi during the 2024 General Elections and then again in his native village in Bihar. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve shared all the details&hellip; You just have to cross-verify. How many more cases will you ignore @ECISVEEP @SpokespersonECI?&rdquo; he wrote. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1278px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1988940384970633653&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> &lsquo;Voting in three states&rsquo;Another highlighted case involves Ajit Kumar Jha, identified as an employee of the website OpIndia. The Indian journalist alleged that Jha cast votes in Delhi, Haryana, and Bihar. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1737px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1988993848291500309&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> A subsequent post questioned how both Jha and his son were able to vote across multiple states, allegedly holding three active EPIC numbers. Prominent YouTuber Dhruv Rathee amplified the concerns, sharing Zubair&rsquo;s claims and asking, &ldquo;Is @ECISVEEP sleeping?&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 801px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1988537464907010300&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Another user raised broader questions to the Election Commission regarding Jha&rsquo;s alleged multi-state registration, the ECI&rsquo;s investigative steps, gaps in voter-database synchronization, and whether deleted posts could be used as legal evidence. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-5" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1007px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-5&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1988566401850974517&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Allegations against Uday KumarZubair also posted that Uday Kumar, described as a BJP supporter, voted in both Bengaluru and Bihar.<div class="fr-embed"> </div>He added that Kumar and his family held EPIC IDs from both Karnataka and Bihar, though no proof was provided that the entire family had voted in two states. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-7" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-7&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1988573923836068225&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Claims against BJP leader Ojha&nbsp;Another allegation concerns&nbsp;Santosh Kumar Ojha, a BJP leader residing in Delhi. The Indian journalist stated that Ojha held two EPIC numbers &mdash; one in Delhi and one in Bihar &mdash; and voted in both locations.<div class="fr-embed"> </div>He further claimed that Ojha&rsquo;s name was added to the Buxar voter list only recently, in an additional list after August 2025. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-9" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1216px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-9&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1987193555090321749&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Exclusion of over 6 million namesIndia launched a revision of its voter rolls on Nov. 4, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world&#39;s largest democracy, according to an AFP report. The three-month voter registration overhaul &mdash; known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) &mdash; kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year. Earlier this year, the ECI conducted a similar revision in the eastern state of Bihar, home to more than 130 million people, ahead of its state elections beginning Nov. 6. The process led to the exclusion of around 6.5 million names, which the ECI said was necessary to prevent the inclusion of &quot;foreign illegal immigrants.&quot; Zero repolls: ECIMeanwhile, the ECI has said that the Bihar Assembly Election 2025 concluded with a historic milestone, a record voter turnout of 67.13%, the highest ever recorded in the state since Independence, and &ldquo;zero repolls&rdquo; across all constituencies. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-10" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 898px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-10&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1988927646630310264&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=2954a4a21b0fadab7e4ba8560b95b6f785ea5458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>

AltNews’ Muhammad Zubair and others share allegations of BJP leaders and supporters voting in multiple states using multiple EPIC IDs during the Bihar elections, prompting public demands for clarification and investigation from the Election Commission of India.

Election Commission of India asked to clarify alleged multi-state voting in Bihar elections

ISLAMABAD: Indian politicians have raised questions over special trains that were allegedly run from the state of Haryana to Bihar just before polling on November 3rd.&nbsp;&nbsp;Polling for Legislative Assembly elections in the Indian state of Bihar began on November 6 and will continue till November 11. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In a press conference, independent lawmaker Kapil Sibal and politician AD Singh asked the Indian Railways Minister&nbsp;Ashwini Vaishnaw why special trains from Haryana to Bihar were run on November 3rd just before the polling.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-7" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 602px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-7&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1987449043908432014&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=7811d5ec620e040f4fb02ffe0323edb3a44922d3&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Sibal said, &ldquo;We know that the Election Commission will not do anything, &hellip; because they are supporters of the BJP.&rdquo;They claimed that &ldquo;on 3rd November 2025, a train left at 10am. That train left from Karnal and left for Baroni via Panipat.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;There were 1,500 people in that train. This is what we know.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-8" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 626px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-8&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1987824504978936081&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=7811d5ec620e040f4fb02ffe0323edb3a44922d3&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1987824504978936081"></iframe></div></div>He alleged, &ldquo;Another train left at 11am on the same day, 3rd November.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lsquo;Four trains&rsquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;That too left from Karnal and went via Patna to Bhagalpur. There were 1500 people in that train. This is what we know,&rdquo; Sibal added.&nbsp;He said, &ldquo;A third train left at 3pm. And a fourth train left at 4pm. And both those trains, third and fourth, left from Gurugram and went via Patna to Bhagalpur.&rdquo;&nbsp;Sibal said, &quot;So, there were about 3,000 people in these two trains.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I would like to ask the Railway Minister, Vaishnaw, whether this special train really left or not.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He asked, &ldquo;So, tell me publicly, did this special train leave? And as I have said, it left at 10am, 11am, 3pm, 3pm, 4pm. It reached there. And if it left, then why did the government use the special train from Haryana?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sibal asked the Railways minister to reply, &ldquo;If they are genuine voters, then they do not need a special train. If they are not genuine voters, then why did you make them use the special train?&rdquo;&nbsp;

Sibal asked the Indian Railways minister to reply, ‘If they are genuine voters, then they do not need a special train. If they are not genuine voters, then why did you make them use the special train?’ 

Indian politicians question 'special trains' from Haryana to Bihar just before polls 

NEW DELHI: India is trialling mobile software systems as it prepares to conduct the world&#39;s largest &mdash; and first fully digital &mdash; population census in 2027. The upcoming census will be the country&#39;s first since 2011 and will, for the first time since independence, register people&#39;s castes -- a politically sensitive exercise last undertaken in 1931 under British rule. A 20-day trial begins Nov. 10 in selected areas of the southern state of Karnataka. It will test a mobile app&ndash;based data collection system and self-enumeration options designed to replace traditional paper-based methods. &quot;The objective is to assess the functioning and efficiency of the digital application across diverse areas -- from urban regions to those with limited mobile network connectivity,&quot; the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement. &quot;This trial marks a significant step toward India&#39;s first-ever fully digital census, replacing traditional paper-based schedules.&quot; The exercise presents an immense logistical challenge -- voting in the 2024 general elections was electronic, and polling took place in seven phases over six weeks. But a census must be conducted at a single point in time to capture a single snapshot of the population -- and avoid double-counting. The main count is scheduled for March 1, 2027. But in high-altitude Himalayan regions -- including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, and the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir -- the census will begin earlier on Oct. 1, 2026, before snowfall begins. Caste remains a powerful determinant of social status in India, shaping access to resources, education, and opportunity. More than two-thirds of India&#39;s 1.4 billion people are believed to belong to historically disadvantaged communities, long subject to systemic discrimination. The millennia-old social hierarchy divides Hindus by function and social standing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party has in the past opposed the idea of enumerating people by caste, arguing it would deepen social divisions, but backed the new survey in May. Proponents say detailed demographic information is crucial for targeted social justice programmes, including earmarking university seats and government jobs for socially disadvantaged communities. Successive governments have avoided updating caste data, citing administrative complexity and fears of social unrest. A caste survey conducted alongside the 2011 census was never released after officials said the results were inaccurate.

The upcoming census will be the country's first since 2011 and will, for the first time since independence, register people's castes -- a politically sensitive exercise last undertaken in 1931 under British rule.

Indian digital system to register people's castes in politically-sensitive census

PATNA: India&#39;s poorest state, Bihar, goes to the polls on Thursday, and for many of its 130 million people, one issue overshadows all others: money. That&#39;s what Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to capitalize on, wooing voters with economic incentives in a bid to win full control. A win here, strategists say, could &quot;energize&quot; the BJP&#39;s prospects in other key states heading into next year&#39;s elections. Bellwether battlegroundHindu-majority Bihar, the country&#39;s third-most-populous state -- roughly the size of Mexico -- is a bellwether battleground. It remains the only state in the Hindi-speaking north where Modi&#39;s Hindu nationalist party has never ruled alone. For housewife Rajkumari Devi, feeding her three children depends on the daily wage her husband earns as a laborer in the Muzaffarpur district.He takes home about 400 to 500 rupees (about $5) on the days he finds work. &lsquo;Unemployment everywhere&rsquo;&quot;There is no stability,&quot; said the 28-year-old, outside her modest one-room home overlooking agricultural land. &quot;There have been times when he has not had work for days -- so we stretch the little money we have,&quot; she added. &quot;There is unemployment everywhere.&quot; Bihar ranks worst in India on poverty indicators, according to the government&#39;s NITI Aayog policy think tank, with a GDP per capita of 52,379 rupees, just ahead of the Central African Republic. Cash promises In September, Modi announced investment projects worth $8 billion, including rail and road upgrades, new agricultural schemes, and an airport terminal. He also unveiled an $844 million initiative to support women entrepreneurs, offering 7.5 million women cash transfers of 10,000 rupees each. The BJP, allied with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar&#39;s Janata Dal (United) in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), faces a stiff challenge from the opposition. At a rally in the state capital Patna on Sunday, Modi urged voters to &quot;bless the NDA.&quot; Election in two phases&nbsp;<h2 style="line-height: 2;">A BJP victory in Bihar could, analysts say, boost its momentum in opposition-held states, such as neighboring West Bengal, as well as Tamil Nadu in the south.</h2> &quot;This is the election which will decide whether the BJP can form a government on its own,&quot; said Pushpendra, a political analyst who uses only one name. A BJP win could &quot;energize&quot; the party elsewhere, he said. The election will be held in two phases, on Nov. 6 and 11. Results are due on Nov. 14.

A victory for Modi's party, the BJP, in Bihar could boost its momentum in neighboring West Bengal and Tamil Nadu; election will be held in two phases, on November 6 and 11; results are due on November 14.

India's Modi hopes economic incentives will help BJP win in poorest Bihar state

NEW DELHI: India launched a revision of its voter rolls Tuesday, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world&#39;s largest democracy.&nbsp;The three-month voter registration overhaul &mdash; known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) &mdash; kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year.&nbsp;Tens of thousands of election officials and nearly half a million volunteers will go door-to-door to help residents complete voter enumeration forms.&nbsp;Officials &quot;will help the elector fill the enumeration form, collect it and submit it,&quot; Election Commission of India chief Gyanesh Kumar told reporters while announcing the exercise.&nbsp;Earlier this year, the ECI conducted a similar revision in the eastern state of Bihar, home to more than 130 million people, ahead of its state elections beginning November 6.&nbsp;The process led to the exclusion of around 6.5 million names, which the ECI said was necessary to prevent the inclusion of &quot;foreign illegal immigrants.&quot;&nbsp;Members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have long claimed that undocumented Muslim migrants from neighboring Bangladesh have fraudulently registered as voters.&nbsp;Critics, however, argue that stringent documentation requirements could result in large numbers of Indian citizens being wrongly removed from the rolls.&nbsp;Activists have reported cases of living voters declared dead and entire families being struck off draft lists.&nbsp;In August, India&#39;s Supreme Court eased some concerns by ruling that the widely used biometric-linked Aadhaar identity card could be accepted as valid documentation for the process.The latest SIR drive will cover major states including Uttar Pradesh &mdash;India&#39;s most populous state with about 199 million people &mdash; as well as West Bengal with 91 million, Tamil Nadu with 72 million, and Kerala with 33 million, according to the 2011 census.&nbsp;Several rights groups and opposition parties have filed legal challenges.&nbsp;Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, whose party filed its opposition in the Supreme Court on Monday, said the exercise was a &quot;mere trick to delete the names of genuine voters.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Voting is the body and soul of democracy, and that right is facing a threat,&quot; he told opposition parties on Sunday.&nbsp;The final electoral roll is expected to be released on February 7, 2026.

The three-month voter registration overhaul kicks off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year.

India launches mass overhaul of voter rolls

Reuters

PATNA: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s national alliance faces a tough regional election in the state of Bihar next month, due to youth unemployment and distrust over voter rolls, which could pose risks to his coalition that relies on regional partners. Bihar, in eastern India, is one of the country&#39;s poorest states and its third most populous, with over 130 million people. Its chief minister, Nitish Kumar, has previously sided with both Modi and the opposition, but is currently a key partner in Modi&#39;s National Democratic Alliance. Politically crucial heartland&nbsp;The state is part of a politically crucial heartland region, and any cracks within the NDA in November&#39;s assembly vote in Bihar could threaten Modi&#39;s coalition, with elections to follow within months in the states of Assam, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. Modi&#39;s national alliance, which has 293 out of 543 seats in the Parliament, has a strong voter base only in Assam. The Vote Vibe agency said its opinion poll in Bihar showed the NDA had a marginal 1.6 percentage point lead over the opposition alliance, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress party, as of October 8. &lsquo;Strong voting bloc&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;This election could swing either way,&quot; the agency said in its outlook, noting that the NDA&#39;s slight edge was due to its recent programs, such as money transfers to 12.1 million women under a self-employment subsidy that totaled more than 121 billion rupees ($1.37 billion). Nivedita Jha, an activist based in Bihar&#39;s state capital Patna, said women will form a strong voting bloc in the poll because men usually leave Bihar in search of jobs in economic hubs like Mumbai and New Delhi, and not all return to vote. &quot;Women take the decisions because the men are not here,&quot; she said. &quot;They talk about the opposition, which has promised more money if they come to power, and my understanding is that they trust the opposition more&quot;. &lsquo;They have declared me dead&rsquo;Some Bihar voters are also angry about the revision of the state voter list. In one case, 85-year-old Jitni Devi said she was removed from the list and can no longer vote or access her pension. &quot;They have declared me dead,&quot; she told Reuters. &quot;People in my village tease me as a dead woman, and bank officials shoo me away when I go there to withdraw my money.&quot; The state election commission did not respond to queries about Devi&#39;s case. The federal election body has previously said that all complaints are investigated thoroughly. Voters angry over unemploymentAnxiety among young voters in Bihar over employment is another election issue, despite a falling unemployment rate. Government data showed that 9.9% of people aged 15&ndash;29 were unemployed in Bihar in the fiscal year 2023&ndash;24, a significant drop from 30.9% in 2018&ndash;19, but concerns persist. &quot;For me, I have seen my father going out of Bihar for work, so the issue of jobs matters the most,&quot; said Babloo Kumar, 25, who plans to vote for the first time in November. A new political party, Jan Suraaj &mdash; founded by Prashant Kishor, Modi&#39;s former poll manager &mdash; said it aims to reset the political agenda in Bihar. &lsquo;Big dip in Modi&#39;s popularity&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;Joblessness, migration, increasing debts, loss in agriculture revenue are the issues in Bihar,&quot; said the party&#39;s national president, Uday Singh. &quot;There is a big dip in Modi&#39;s popularity here&quot;. The opposition has promised a law guaranteeing at least one government job per family, if desired. Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party, however, said it remains confident of victory. &quot;The NDA alliance is in a very solid position,&quot; said Guru Prakash Paswan, a BJP spokesperson. &quot;People have strong faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s vision.&quot; Voting will be held on November 6 and 11 for 243 state assembly seats, and results will be declared on November 14.

The Bihar election is crucial for Modi's coalition stability; women voters are pivotal due to the migration of men for jobs; voters are angry over unemployment and distrust the electoral rolls.

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