VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html Akshay Kumar’s next with Anees Bazmee ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’ gets Rs 60 crore all-India distribution deal ahead of 2027 release – Report Leopard attack kills 35-year-old woman in Bahraich: What travellers should know before visiting Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh | A New York highway superintendent built a snow-fence pole remover from an old golf-cart wheel and scrap box tubing for $0; it cut a three-week job to about 1.5 weeks and has now won a national federal award Angad Singh Dhillon appointed as Canada’s ambassador to the UAE BATHINDA: Hailing from Ludhiana village in Punjab, Angad Singh Dhillon has been appointed as Canada’s next ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Arab Emirates. Dhillon, whose appointment has been announced by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand on September 25, will succeed Radha Krishna Panday as Canada’s ambassador to the UAE.As per official website of global affairs Canada, Angad Singh Dhillon has only recently served as Director of Operations and Stakeholder Relations in the Office of Prime Minister Mark Carney and has previously served as Chief of Staff to two federal cabinet ministers handling the small business and transport portfolios. Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesIn these roles, he supported Canada’s engagements at the G7, G20, UN General Assembly, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, International Transport Forum and Conference of the Parties.As one of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s closest advisers, he supported the Prime Minister in re-engaging Canada’s diplomatic relationships with key bilateral partners, including India and China, by helping restore high-level channels of communication and cooperation. He also led stakeholder coordination to secure incoming investment commitments into Canada, including the development and planning of Canada’s inaugural national Investment Summit.He had joined the liberal party as a field organizer in 2015. Angad Singh Dhillon family traces its roots in Ghungrana village in Ludhiana as his grandfather Jagjit Singh Ghungrana was a farmer and known figure in the area.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorNeel KamalAn engineer by training but a journalist at heart, Neel Kamal writes about sustainable agriculture, environment, climate change and peace initiatives between India and Pakistan by peace groups on both sides.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi Skeleton Mystery: Skeleton-Like Structure Found During BJP Cleanliness Drive | Watch‘Padma Bhushan Is Small, Make Him PM’: Pawan Khera Mocks BJP’s Praise For Gyanesh KumarSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? 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The Legal Gap Explained‘Made In UP’ Missiles Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights: Amit Shah On BrahMos123Hot PicksMandeep K BhandariBank strikeNEET PG ResultGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysOdisha school textbooksPunjab school holidayMadurantakam bypollDr MonishCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingNorma DumontRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court ‘I couldn’t sleep for an hour’: Shiva Rajkumar gets emotional after watching Suriya and Mamitha Baiju’s ‘Vishwanath And Sons’, says ‘it reminded me of my parents’ 10 baby names inspired by Italian elegance and timeless charm Euphoria star Javon “Wanna” Walton sends bold message to former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo ahead of Andrew Tate’s Misfits Boxing clash Visa revoked for one-day overstay in the US? NRI shares mother-in-law’s case they got to know after a year MrBeast joins Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi at ‘Ramayana’ event in Mumbai, chants ‘Jai Shree Ram’ after Ranbir’s prompt – WATCH Video Pigmentation, acne scars or ageing? 5 questions that can help identify the right treatment path Housing sales slipped 6% in top Indian cities during Jul-Sep quarter: Report The CEC can have a distinct role within the institution, but the law does not provide for a system in which the CEC’s view automatically prevails over the other two commissioners. NEW DELHI: Elections are, by their very nature, a contest.Political parties fight for ground, candidates wage fierce campaigns and voters ultimately decide whom to trust with their mandate.Through it all, the Election Commission is meant to stand apart and monitor the process. Its role is to frame the rules, enforce them fairly and ensure that the contest remains even-handed.Yet, in recent days, the spotlight has moved away from those fighting the election and towards the institution meant to referee it.The players are no longer the only ones under scrutiny. Increasingly, the referee itself has become the subject of the debate.A report in The Indian Express claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi repeatedly raised objections with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over decisions and communications that they said were issued without their knowledge or approval.The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the episode points to a breakdown in its functioning. It has maintained that differences of opinion are a normal part of institutional deliberation and that all final decisions of the Commission have been unanimous.That leaves a larger constitutional question at the heart of the controversy: how is India’s election watchdog actually supposed to function?Is the Chief Election Commissioner the boss of the Election Commission, or simply the first among three equals? What happens when the three commissioners disagree? And why has the law governing their appointment become a subject of such intense controversy?What triggered the latest EC controversy?On September 23, The Indian Express reported that Sandhu and Joshi had, on multiple occasions, objected to decisions and communications they said were taken or issued without their prior knowledge.According to the report, the two commissioners recorded such objections on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months.The issues reportedly ranged from changes to electoral forms and access to the voter database to the allocation of work within the Commission and the filing of appeals involving electoral rolls.The report has since triggered a wider debate over whether the Election Commission’s three members are exercising their powers collectively, as the law envisages, or whether the CEC has acquired a greater role in practice.What did the two ECs object to?According to the Indian Express report, the concerns raised by Sandhu and Joshi covered several aspects of the Commission’s functioning.Changes to Form 6: The two commissioners reportedly objected to changes made to Form 6, the application citizens use to register as new electors, without following due process. In May, Joshi warned that the form could not be altered without an amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. On August 13, Sandhu reportedly described the change as “unauthorised and illegal” and called for its immediate removal.Access to electoral roll data: The commissioners also reportedly raised concerns about whether statutory authorities responsible for maintaining electoral rolls had complete access to voter data on the ERONet portal. Joshi flagged what he described as the “gradual centralisation of the electoral roll database” and proposed an audit to establish that only authorised officials had credentials to modify voter data. Sandhu, separately, recorded that state-level election officials had complained of not having “proper and complete access” to ERONet. He also questioned whether the Commission’s director general of IT, Seema Khanna, had the legal authority to restrict access for statutory officials such as Electoral Registration Officers.Reasons for objection by the other two election commissioners over the decision taken by CEC Gyanesh KumarChanges in work allocation: Joshi and Sandhu reportedly wrote separately to the cabinet secretary objecting to changes in the allocation of work that removed a layer of oversight over the Commission’s IT infrastructure. They said the changes had been made without their knowledge.West Bengal SIR appeals: During the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Election Commission filed around 16.10 lakh appeals involving voters whose names judicial officers had added. The appeals were heard by tribunals headed by retired high court judges appointed by the Supreme Court. According to the report, neither the two election commissioners nor West Bengal’s chief electoral officer were informed about the basis or process for filing these appeals.Restoration of voters in Goa: Another concern reportedly involved 97 eligible voters whose names had to be restored to Goa’s electoral rolls. Despite repeated requests from Electoral Registration Officers, the voters could not initially be restored because the ECI’s software did not have an option for reinstatement.Communications issued in the ECI’s name: The two commissioners also reportedly objected to communications being issued in the Election Commission’s name without what they considered to be the Commission’s full approval. They cited Article 324 of the Constitution as well as the 2023 law governing the poll panel.Taken together, the reported objections raise a question that goes beyond any individual decision: how does a three-member constitutional body exercise collective authority when its members do not initially agree?What did the Election Commission say?The Election Commission strongly rejected the suggestion that its internal differences amount to a breakdown in decision-making, and added that all official orders and administrative directions had been issued unanimously.”Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. They are a part of the decision-making process before a final decision is taken. Not only the three Commissioners, but every officer of the Commission is fully authorised to give his suggestions to the Commission for improving the electoral system,” the ECI said in a statement.”In recent months, the Commission has taken numerous decisions, issued instructions, introduced around 40 new initiatives and undertaken many electoral reforms, including the conduct of electoral roll revision (including SIR) across the country. All these decisions are an outcome of the unanimous decisions of the full Commission in the past one year,” the poll body added.It also criticised the media report, saying that highlighting specific internal notes over a period of 10 months gives only one part of the picture.”Highlighting certain specific internal notes/observations spread over the period of 10 months while overlooking the much larger body of approvals, decisions, instructions and initiatives give only one part of the picture,” it said.The Election Commission stated that internal disagreements and suggestions from officers were a routine part of its decision-making process before reaching a final verdict.The disagreement, therefore, is not simply over whether commissioners have expressed reservations. It is over what those reservations mean for the functioning of the institution as a whole.CEC or ECs: Who has the final say?This is where the 2023 law becomes important.Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, provides that the Commission may, by unanimous decision, regulate how its business is conducted and allocate work among the CEC and the other Election Commissioners.It also says that, as far as possible, the Commission’s business should be transacted unanimously.But it makes an important provision for situations in which consensus is not possible.The opposition objected over the 2023 EC law alleging that the panel arrangement is made to ‘favour’ the government in powerIf the CEC and the other Election Commissioners differ on a matter, the issue is to be decided according to the opinion of the majority.In other words, the statutory framework does not make the CEC an executive superior to the other two commissioners. The three constitute the Commission collectively, while the CEC is the “first among equals”.The CEC can have a distinct role within the institution, but the law does not provide for a system in which the CEC’s view automatically prevails over the other two commissioners.Where the three disagree, the majority view is the deciding view.The controversy now centres on whether some of the decisions cited in the recent report were, in practice, implemented despite objections from the other two commissioners, and if so, how that squares with the statutory scheme governing the Commission’s decision-making.Why is the 2023 EC law controversial?The current controversy also brings back an older and deeper question: Who should appoint the people who conduct India’s elections?In March 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that Parliament had not yet enacted a law governing appointments to the Election Commission, despite Article 324 of the Constitution envisaging such a framework.Until Parliament enacted such a law, a Constitution bench prescribed an interim selection mechanism comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.The court stressed that an independent Election Commission was essential for democracy and observed that those entrusted with conducting elections must be insulated from executive influence.The Constitution outlines the removal guidelines for the CEC and details about the conditions of service as a CECParliament subsequently enacted the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.But the new law changed the composition of the selection committee.Instead of the Chief Justice of India, it provided for a Union Cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister. The committee therefore consists of the Prime Minister, a Union minister nominated by him and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.The opposition has alleged that the 2023 Act gives the executive “overwhelming” control over the appointment of Election Commissioners. The government, meanwhile, has defended the law and its institutional framework.Matter in Supreme CourtThe dispute has now reached the Supreme Court, where a challenge to the validity of the appointment law produced a split verdict.A two-judge SC bench differed over whether the matter should immediately be referred to a Constitution bench. Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma disagreed on that question, although both agreed that the matter should ultimately be placed before the Chief Justice of India for consideration by a larger bench.Section 18 of the CEC and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, outlines that the EC should ideally conduct business unanimously, but allows a majority opinion to decide matters when members disagree.They also agreed that sending the case first to a three-judge bench would be of “little worth” and could further delay a final determination of the constitutional questions involved. The matter is likely to be heard by a 5-judge bench soon.The issue is vital as it extends beyond the current dispute inside the Election Commission. It touches a larger institutional question: How independent should the body conducting India’s elections be from the executive, and what safeguards should govern the appointment of those who head it?Can a CEC actually be removed?The latest controversy has also acquired a political dimension, with opposition parties preparing fresh notices seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.According to media reports, the notices, being drafted and vetted by experts, are expected to be submitted in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha next week. The proposed notices are expected to include issues raised in the Indian Express report.This would not be the opposition’s first attempt.On April 7, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairperson CP Radhakrishnan rejected an earlier notice seeking Kumar’s removal. That notice had been signed by 130 Lok Sabha members and 63 Rajya Sabha members and alleged partisanship and arbitrariness in the conduct of the SIR exercise.The CEC can be removed by the same procedure as a Supreme Court judge and requires a majority vote from both the Houses.Separately, a notice submitted by 73 opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha on April 24 seeking Kumar’s removal remains pending in the Upper House.But removing a CEC is deliberately difficult.Article 324(5) of the Constitution provides that the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only “in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court”.The same protection is incorporated into Section 11(2) of the 2023 Act.The other Election Commissioners enjoy a different safeguard: they cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the CEC.The higher threshold for removing a CEC is intended to protect the office from arbitrary or politically motivated removal.What does it take to remove a CEC?The removal process is rooted in the constitutional procedure applicable to Supreme Court judges.Article 124(4) of the Constitution, which lays down the procedure for removing a Supreme Court judge, states that a judge can be removed only by an order of the President following an address by each House of Parliament.Such an address must be supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of at least two-thirds of members present and voting, in the same session, on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.The process begins with a notice of motion in either House of Parliament alleging misbehaviour or incapacity. The notice must be signed by at least 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha or 50 MPs in the Rajya Sabha.The presiding officer of the concerned House can admit or refuse the motion after considering the material and information available. If the motion is admitted, an inquiry is conducted into the charges by a committee constituted for the purpose.If the charges are established, the motion must be passed by a majority of the total membership of each House and by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting in both Houses.Once both Houses pass the motion in accordance with these requirements, an address is made to the President, who then issues the order removing the CEC.The President’s role at this stage is constitutional and formal once Parliament has passed the required address.How the EC evolvedThe current structure of the Election Commission is itself the product of an institutional evolution.When the ECI was established in 1950, it was a single-member body, with the Chief Election Commissioner as its sole member.It became a three-member body for the first time in 1989, but that arrangement was short-lived. In January 1990, the VP Singh government reverted the Commission to a single-member structure.The system changed again in October 1993, when the PV Narasimha Rao government appointed MS Gill and GVG Krishnamurthy as Election Commissioners alongside CEC TN Seshan.Seshan challenged the appointments in the Supreme Court, arguing that the addition of commissioners diluted the authority of the CEC.In its 1995 judgment, a Constitution bench upheld the multi-member structure.The court made clear that the CEC was not institutionally superior to the other Election Commissioners. The three were intended to function collectively, with differences being resolved through the decision-making mechanism of the Commission.That judgment established the broad institutional framework that exists today.The big pictureThe Election Commission is not designed as a hierarchy in which one person commands and two others merely assist. Nor is it simply three independent offices operating in parallel. It is a constitutional body meant to function collectively.The law provides for unanimity where possible and a majority where consensus fails.The CEC occupies the position of first among equals, rather than that of a superior authority.The significance of the current controversy, therefore, lies not merely in the existence of disagreements within the Commission. Differences are inevitable in any institution exercising such enormous constitutional responsibility.The larger question is what happens after those differences arise: whether they remain part of an internal deliberative process, as the ECI maintains, or whether they reflect a deeper dispute over how collective authority is being exercised.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe credibility of an election does not rest only on the final tally of votes.It also rests on whether voters believe that the rules were applied fairly, the institutions enforcing them remained above the contest and the process was conducted without favour or hidden influence.The Election Commission, therefore, carries a burden that goes beyond administering polls: it must command confidence across the political spectrum and among voters themselves. Any perception that the referee is divided, opaque or partisan can cast a shadow over the process, even when the electoral machinery continues to function formally within the law.In the end, public trust is not built merely by declaring an election free and fair; it is built by ensuring that voters have little reason to doubt that verdict.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi Skeleton Mystery: Skeleton-Like Structure Found During BJP Cleanliness Drive | Watch‘Padma Bhushan Is Small, Make Him PM’: Pawan Khera Mocks BJP’s Praise For Gyanesh KumarSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? The Legal Gap Explained‘Made In UP’ Missiles Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights: Amit Shah On BrahMos123Hot PicksMandeep K BhandariBank strikeNEET PG ResultGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysOdisha school textbooksPunjab school holidayMadurantakam bypollDr MonishCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingNorma DumontRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court Sep 26, 2026, 18:45 IST ‘You have never made me feel small’: Raghav Juyal calls Nani his mentor, writes emotional note after ‘The Paradise’ release From hotel Wi-Fi to hidden cameras: 7 simple ways to check if your hotel room is safe | San Diego crews removed more than 60 tons of dried brush and invasive plants from 750+ acres of Mission Trails; the work targets wildfire fuel in a park where the 2003 Cedar Fire burned about 2,800 acres The CJP has said it will launch a nationwide agitation from October 2 against CEC Gyanesh Kumar NEW DELHI: Only the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) can force Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to resign, senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee said on Saturday.According to Kalyan Banerjee, who is from the Mamata Banerjee faction of the TMC, no political party can force Kumar to step down.“If the CJP gives a real challenge, they can remove Kumar; no other political party can. If the CJP does it, there will be quick disposal. They stick to one issue and pursue it with all their heart and soul,” he told a vernacular news channel.The CJP, a youth pressure group that led student protests that resulted in Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Union education minister over the NEET paper leak issue, has warned that it will launch a nationwide agitation in Mumbai from October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, if the CEC does not resign by Saturday.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday demanded Kumar’s resignation and threatened to launch a “Jantar Mantar 2.0” agitation if the poll body chief does not step down, referring to the designated protest venue in Delhi where the group held its sit-in demanding Pradhan’s resignation.Dipke’s remarks came a day after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders of the Election Commission, including those concerning the addition, deletion and restoration of voters and changes to the voter registration process.Following the report, poll panel officials said the two commissioners had raised objections to decisions taken during the electoral roll clean-up and the handling of voter databases in various states.Election Commission sources, however, maintained that all decisions of the commission, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), had been unanimous and approved by both election commissioners and the chief election commissioner.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesKumar, who became an election commissioner in 2024 and the CEC the following year, has repeatedly faced allegations of favouring the ruling BJP.Meanwhile, the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc is expected to meet in Delhi on September 30 to discuss the Election Commission issue and decide its future course of action. The bloc is also expected to revive an impeachment motion against Kumar after an earlier motion, signed by nearly 200 opposition MPs, was not accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan.(With PTI inputs)Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorKaran ManralKaran Manral is a journalist at the Times of India. He covers politics, social issues, and international affairs, exploring stories that affect people’s everyday lives. He also writes explainers to make these stories easier for readers to follow.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? The Legal Gap Explained‘Made In UP’ Missiles Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights: Amit Shah On BrahMosOmar Abdullah Moves Full Statehood Resolution In J&K Assembly, BJP Protest Sparks House UproarThird Bihar Harassment Case In A Week: Minor Girl Targeted In Banka, Video Surfaces123Hot PicksMandeep K BhandariBank strikeNEET PG ResultGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysTN programmePunjab school holidayMadurantakam bypollDr MonishCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingNorma DumontRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court Mammootty’s ‘Kaathal – The Core’ resurfaces in discussion as Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy faces trolling over reported LGBTQ themes and Malaysia release setback The clever styling trick behind Sara Ali Khan’s dramatic wide-leg trousers | In 1984, Gene Simmons paid about $1.35 million for a Beverly Hills estate; after nearly four decades, a $16 million sale and a 3,000-sq-ft rebuild, the former KISS home sold again for $28 million in 2025 India clinch double gold as men’s and women’s kabaddi teams triumph at Asian Games; TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh’s car attacked with eggs and stones during Mamata Banerjee rally Election Commission said SIR decisions were unanimous and eased notice procedures, allowing BLO home visits and online hearings. It also extended claims deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra.At least 11 people were killed and around 30 injured after a suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. TTP claimed responsibility.India completed a golden double at the Asian Games as the men defeated Iran 40-34 in the final, hours after the women beat Iran 37-34 to retain gold.TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh’s car was pelted with eggs and stones in Uttarpara while he travelled to Serampore for Mamata Banerjee’s rally. Ghosh alleged police were absent.Relics of medieval Russian warrior saints are being taken to troops in occupied Ukraine, as the Russian Orthodox Church uses religious symbolism to provide spiritual support and reinforce wartime narratives.Here are the top 5 stories from the day:EC holds key meeting, announces crucial decisions amid SIR rowThe Election Commission said decisions on the nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls were unanimously approved, rejecting reports of internal differences. It simplified procedures for voters facing notices, allowing booth-level officers to collect documents from homes and hearings to be held online in exceptional cases. The EC also announced help desks and enrolment drives, while extending claims deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra.Read the full story11 dead, 30 injured in suicide bomb blast near police post in northwestern PakistanAt least 11 people were killed and around 30 injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a roadside police checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Saturday. Some injured people were reportedly in critical condition. The Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, claimed responsibility. Pakistan has faced a surge in militant attacks, including those claimed by TTP and the Baloch Liberation Army.Read the full storyIndia’s kabaddi double! Men beat Iran to defend gold after women’s triumph at Asian GamesIndia completed a kabaddi golden double at the Asian Games 2026 after the men’s team defeated Iran 40-34 in a closely fought final on Saturday. Earlier, the women’s team had beaten Iran 37-34 to retain their title. The men secured India’s ninth Asian Games gold in men’s kabaddi and defended their Hangzhou crown. The two golds took India’s tally to 28 medals.Read the full storyEggs hurled, car window smashed as Kunal Ghosh heads to Mamata rally – videoTMC MLA Kunal Ghosh’s car was pelted with eggs and stones in Uttarpara, Hooghly, on Saturday as he travelled to Serampore for Mamata Banerjee’s rally. His vehicle’s rear windshield was damaged. Ghosh alleged police were absent and said he would file a complaint. TMC leaders blamed the BJP for the attack. Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe incident came amid tensions between the party and police ahead of the rally.Read the full story’Mobilizing myth’: Why is Russia sending dead princes, saints into Ukraine battleRelics of medieval Russian rulers and warrior saints are being taken to Russian troops in occupied Ukraine as the war enters another winter. A fragment of Dmitry Donskoy’s remains has been moved among military bases, with the Orthodox Church portraying him as a defender of the homeland. Experts say the practice links Russia’s medieval military history with its current war narrative, while some clergy criticise it.Read the full storyGet the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorVijaya SrivastavaVijaya Srivastava is a journalist and feature writer whose expertise lies in covering human-centred developments. Her stories explore how policy, technology, economic shifts and social change influence people’s everyday lives. Her work also focuses on bringing depth, context and a human perspective to complex issues. Her reports primarily cover society, healthcare, safety, public policy and emerging trends, alongside other political developments.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi Skeleton Mystery: Skeleton-Like Structure Found During BJP Cleanliness Drive | Watch‘Padma Bhushan Is Small, Make Him PM’: Pawan Khera Mocks BJP’s Praise For Gyanesh KumarSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? The Legal Gap Explained‘Made In UP’ Missiles Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights: Amit Shah On BrahMos123Hot PicksMandeep K BhandariBank strikeNEET PG ResultGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysOdisha school textbooksPunjab school holidayMadurantakam bypollDr MonishCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingNorma DumontRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court Updated: Sep 26, 2026, 18:11 IST Yami Gautam’s family celebrates her first National Award for ‘Article 370’ with hugs, flowers and besan ka halwa, sister Surilie captures the emotional moment Ganesh Idol: Tiny 2-inch Ganesh idol from Dharavi wins hearts online for its incredible detail Beauty and the beast: China brought its own wheels, a red flag, to Washington The proposed meeting comes amid opposition parties’ growing coordination over the Election Commission’s electoral roll revision exercise. NEW DELHI: Opposition INDIA bloc parties are set to meet at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on September 30, with top leaders expected to attend amid growing concerns over the Election Commission and its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee are also expected to attend the meeting.The meeting comes amid efforts by opposition parties to coordinate their response after reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the electoral roll revision. The parties have been in touch with each other and are discussing a joint response, sources said, as quoted by PTI.The opposition bloc also includes, the CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation, who have demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an immediate halt to the SIR exercise. The Congress has also stepped up its criticism of Kumar, with its Working Committee scheduled to meet on September 29 to discuss its strategy on the issue.The developments have also brought the TMC and CPI(M), political rivals in West Bengal, together on the issue. CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby wrote to INDIA bloc and other opposition leaders seeking a meeting and subsequently spoke to Mamata Banerjee.Also read: Mamata guns for CEC, says protest will go on till he resignsThe opposition is also working on a fresh removal notice against Kumar, which is likely to be submitted in both Houses of Parliament after legal vetting. It would be the third such attempt by opposition parties.The latest mobilisation followed an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions over decisions and orders relating to the SIR exercise. The report triggered a wider political row over the functioning of the poll panel.The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that its decisions on SIR were divided. In the latest statement on Saturday, the poll body reiterated all decisions taken on the exercise had been approved unanimously.”In the recent months, the Commission has taken numerous decisions including SIR across the country. The order for the SIR issued on 24.6.2025 for all the States/UTs, starting with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 other States/UTs was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission,” it said.The EC also said the Supreme Court had upheld the SIR order on May 27, 2026. It added that schedules for subsequent phases covering 12 and 19 states and Union territories were also issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesEC also announced measures to simplify the SIR process, saying voters receiving notices over unmapped records or logical discrepancies would ordinarily not need to appear before the ERO, with booth-level officers collecting documents from their homes. Hearings will be held only in exceptional cases, preferably online. The EC said SIR had been completed in 20 states and UTs and extended deadlines for claims and objections in Delhi and Maharashtra. It also denied differences over SIR decisions, saying all such decisions had been taken unanimously, and clarified that a separate controversy involving an officer on deputation concerned administrative functioning, not any policy decision or the IT division.Read more: Election Commission holds crucial meeting amid SIR row, announces key decisionsGet the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTrisha MahajanTrisha Mahajan is a journalist with The Times of India digital, with keen interest in covering business and corporate affairs. She also reports on key national and world developments and global news trends. A keen reader with a strong interest in storytelling that adds context, clarity, and depth to complex issues.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosDelhi Skeleton Mystery: Skeleton-Like Structure Found During BJP Cleanliness Drive | Watch‘Padma Bhushan Is Small, Make Him PM’: Pawan Khera Mocks BJP’s Praise For Gyanesh KumarSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? The Legal Gap Explained‘Made In UP’ Missiles Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights: Amit Shah On BrahMos123Hot PicksMandeep K BhandariBank strikeNEET PG ResultGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysOdisha school textbooksPunjab school holidayMadurantakam bypollDr MonishCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingNorma DumontRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court Mani Ratnam reviews Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Dorothy’ with high praise, calls the director a ‘special talent’ and says ‘I am genuinely jealous of him’ Harsh Goenka reacts to littered Vande Bharat coach: ‘How to teach our people civic sense?’ | Iran denies link to Houthi attacks in Yemen & Saudi Arabia; warns US as Trump rejects peace offer At least 11 dead in suicide bomb blast near police post in northwestern Pakistan Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar NEW DELHI: Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that the Election Commission conducted the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to “help the BJP capture Bengal” by deleting names of valid voters. She further demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.“The truth is now out about how BJP used EC,” Banerjee said, in an apparent reference to a recent report on differences within the poll panel over the SIR exercise.Speaking at a rally in Serampore, Banerjee said protests would continue until Kumar stepped down.“Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar must resign, otherwise protests will continue,” news agency PTI quoted her as saying.Moreover, Mamata confirmed that INDIA bloc meeting was likely to be held in Delhi’s Constitution Club on September 30.The proposed meeting comes amid closer coordination among the parties following reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the SIR exercise. The parties have been consulting each other on the issue and are working on a possible joint response.Earlier, Banerjee had alleged that leaders and workers of her faction of the Trinamool Congress had been kept under house arrest to prevent them from attending the rally, while BJP workers had “taken over the route” to the venue.“We have been kept under house arrest. I am not allowed to go to the venue of the rally. But I will go and address the rally. Stop me if you can,” she said before leaving for the venue.Banerjee took an alternative route through Dankuni and Delhi Road to reach Serampore instead of Uttarpara. A police vehicle accompanied her convoy.“BJP goons have taken over the route to the rally venue. There are no police personnel,” she alleged, referring to an alleged attack on TMC leaders travelling to the rally.Stones and eggs were allegedly thrown at TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh’s car in Uttarpara as he travelled to the rally. A group carrying black flags reportedly surrounded his vehicle and shouted the “go black” slogan. Central forces were subsequently deployed in the area.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesBanerjee accused the police and administration of failing to act against those responsible.“Such atrocities are seen in African countries. Such atrocities are not even happening in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which are also BJP-ruled. Then why has the ruling BJP unleashed so much terror on the streets (here)?” she said.The West Bengal BJP rejected Banerjee’s allegations as baseless.“When the people of the state have already rejected Mamata Banerjee and TMC in assembly elections, why would BJP attack them? No BJP workers was involved in the attack on Ghosh,” West Bengal BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAastha JhaAastha Jha is a writer at The Times of India, covering politics. She also writes on business, global affairs, social issues, with a focus on policy, governance and their impact on everyday lives. Her work brings together reportage and analysis, tracking developments in India and abroad while examining the broader social and economic currents shaping public discourse.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? 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The order for the SIR issued on 24.6.2025 for all the States/UTs, starting with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 other States/UTs was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. The same has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India vide its order dated 27.5.2026. The schedule for SIR for 12 States and UTs was issued on 27.10.2025 and those for 19 States/UTs was issued on 14.05.2026 with the unanimous approval of the Commission. The final figure of number of electors will be known only after final publication in the remaining 12 states of Phase-III,” the poll body said in a statement.At a meeting held on Saturday, the Commission decided that voters who receive notices during the ongoing SIR over being unmapped or having logical discrepancies will not ordinarily have to appear before the electoral registration officer (ERO). Booth-level officers (BLOs) will visit their homes to collect documents and upload them on ECINet for the ERO to decide.Hearings will be held only in exceptional cases, preferably online. An adult family member can also attend a hearing on behalf of the elector if authorised. The Commission said facilities for online hearings would be strengthened.The Commission also directed district election officers to set up help desks and special camps for people living in night shelters, labourers, poor people and homeless persons, depending on local requirements.The EC said SIR has been completed in 20 states and Union territories, including Bihar and West Bengal. It said voters whose names were left out during or after the exercise, as well as young and first-time voters, can apply to the concerned ERO for inclusion through continuous updation. Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), DEOs and EROs have been directed to launch a special enrolment drive.EC clarifies officer, IT division rowThe Commission also clarified that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary was not related to any policy decision concerning the Commission or its IT division, but concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation to the EC.It said work redistribution orders issued by the officer were not implemented after directions from two Commissioners, and oversight of the IT division by the Deputy Election Commissioner was never withdrawn.The EC said field officers have role-based access to the ECINet system based on their statutory powers. A committee headed by a senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent IIT/IIIT expert will review the system for compliance with relevant laws and rules.The Commission also said future initiatives involving IT modules and portals would be discussed by the Committee of Officers before being placed for approval.Claims deadline extended in Delhi, MaharashtraThe Commission extended the deadline for filing claims and objections in Delhi till October 30, following a request from the Delhi CEO. The deadline for disposal of notices and claims and objections has been extended till November 30.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesIn Maharashtra, the deadline for filing claims and objections has been extended till October 12, while their disposal will continue till November 10.The Commission further said the SIR order issued on June 24, 2025, covering all states and UTs and subsequently implemented in phases, had received unanimous approval. It added that the Supreme Court upheld the order on May 27, 2026.In Goa, the EC said BLOs had been directed to visit voters left out of the rolls and collect their forms. Of 97 such voters, 81 have already filled Form 6 for inclusion.The Commission also directed that agendas for its meetings be circulated in advance and minutes issued, while requiring officers’ annual performance reports to be completed by December 31 each year. It further said Commission approval would be required for official foreign trips and that directions issued by Commissioners to officers must be complied with.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAastha JhaAastha Jha is a writer at The Times of India, covering politics. She also writes on business, global affairs, social issues, with a focus on policy, governance and their impact on everyday lives. Her work brings together reportage and analysis, tracking developments in India and abroad while examining the broader social and economic currents shaping public discourse.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? 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According to a university statement, he told the students that he preferred a “frank question-and-answer session.”During the interaction, a student asked the CJI about the “police response to peaceful students’ protests”.According to the statement, CJI Kant told the student that “courts will not look the other way” in cases involving alleged police brutality. He also “unequivocally reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to protecting students’ peaceful right to protest.”The reference was to the Jantar Mantar protests in Delhi against the NEET exam paper leaks, spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a youth pressure group. The CJP began as a satirical online campaign following the CJI’s “cockroaches” remark in the Supreme Court, which he later clarified had been reported out of context.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesA CJP-called march to Parliament on July 20 ended in clashes between protesters and Delhi Police and other security forces. The protests were called off on July 25 after then-Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, fulfilling the CJP’s principal demand. The group had also sought an assurance that no student who participated in the demonstrations would be booked.On September 1, a CJI-led bench quashed the FIRs registered in connection with the July 20 clashes after the Centre and state governments assured the Supreme Court that cases against the protesters would not be pursued and no fresh FIRs would be registered over the same incidents.The order, however, does not apply to 2,873 people with criminal backgrounds who were identified at the Jantar Mantar demonstrations.(With PTI inputs)Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorKaran ManralKaran Manral is a journalist at the Times of India. He covers politics, social issues, and international affairs, exploring stories that affect people’s everyday lives. He also writes explainers to make these stories easier for readers to follow.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? 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NEW DELHI: Priyank Kharge on Thursday hit out at the BJP for defending the Election Commission after the Form 6 row. He said that the ruling party should allow the poll panel to answer questions over alleged differences among its members on electoral-roll decisions.The Karnataka minister’s remarks came after a report by The Indian Express claimed that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders linked to electoral-roll procedures and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.“Why is the BJP so desperate to defend the Election Commission instead of allowing the Election Commission to defend itself? If there is nothing to hide, let the Election Commission face the questions directly. BJP leaders should stop acting as its unofficial spokespersons. Let the Commission come before the country, answer every question, disclose every fact and clear every doubt,” Kharge wrote on X.’Gyanesh Kumar is only the pawn’Kharge also questioned whether the controversy was being reduced to the role of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar while overlooking wider questions about the functioning of institutions.“Looks like the Modi Sarkar is preparing to sacrifice Gyanesh Kumar at the altar. But don’t be fooled. Gyanesh Kumar is only the pawn,” he wrote.He further questioned the legal protections available to top election officials and the way power is distributed within the poll body.“The bigger question is: who designed the system, who concentrated the power and who ensured that the Chief election commissioner received legal protection from civil or criminal proceedings for acts done in the discharge of their “official duties”?”Kharge alleged that accountability should not be limited to individual officials.“Accountability cannot stop with the pawn. The two most powerful people at the top have systematically weakened democratic institutions to cling to power and shield a system of corruption and cronyism,” he said.Former EC raises questions over decision-makingThe controversy has also drawn comments from former election commissioner Om Prakash Rawat, who said decisions of the three-member Election Commission have to be taken through consensus or a majority vote.“That is the Election Commission’s system, where all three commissioners give suggestions and contribute their views on how things should be done. That is standard procedure. However, when a decision is made, it must be by consensus or by a majority vote,” Rawat said.“If two Commissioners are on one side, that forms the majority. Their objection is that while they expressed a different view, Gyanesh Kumar proceeded independently. That is the issue,” he added.Rawat, however, ruled out the possibility of cancelling elections that have already been completed.“No one can cancel an election once completed. What is done is done,” he remarked.On calls for Kumar’s resignation, Rawat said a formal process would first have to be initiated.“Someone has to initiate formal proceedings. If someone moves, then the subsequent steps will be seen,” he said.Row over Form 6Rawat also raised questions about changes to Form 6, which is used for voter registration. He said the Election Commission could not amend statutory requirements without the required approval.He explained that Form 6 has different requirements depending on the applicant’s circumstances. According to him, additional details may be sought from an older person who claims to be registering for the first time.“But what the Election Commission did this time is apply the second type of form to everyone. Even if someone is 18 years old, they are now required to provide details about where their parents were and what they did. This has led to controversy, as it effectively amounts to an amendment to Form 6. The Election Commission has amended it, even though the Election Commission has no authority to amend any form. That authority rests solely with the President,” he said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe Election Commission, however, has said that all its decisions, including those related to the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously with the approval of both Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.Meanwhile, the Congress Working Committee is scheduled to meet in New Delhi on September 29. According to sources, the meeting is expected to discuss the Election Commission controversy, the SIR exercise and the wider political situation.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorVijaya SrivastavaVijaya Srivastava is a journalist and feature writer whose expertise lies in covering human-centred developments. Her stories explore how policy, technology, economic shifts and social change influence people’s everyday lives. Her work also focuses on bringing depth, context and a human perspective to complex issues. Her reports primarily cover society, healthcare, safety, public policy and emerging trends, alongside other political developments.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? 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