Final Bihar voter list to be published tomorrow; poll schedule announcement likely next week
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New Delhi (PTI): The final electoral roll of Bihar is set to be published on Tuesday, with the Election Commission likely to follow it up with the announcement of the poll schedule of the key state next week.
The poll authority is visiting Patna on October 4 and 5 to take stock of the poll preparedness.
The schedule for the assembly elections is likely to be announced next week, sources said.
The first phase of the elections is likely to be held soon after the Chhath festival in late October.
Four hundred seventy observers are being deployed by the EC for Bihar and some assembly bypolls.
A briefing of general, police and expenditure observers is also set to take place here on October 3.
The term of the 243-member Bihar Assembly ends on November 22.
The last assembly elections in Bihar were held in three phases amid the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The final voter list of Bihar is being published following the conclusion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls which was held after a gap of 22 years.
The draft electoral rolls were published on August 1 and were open for "claims and objections" by individuals and political parties till September 1.
There were 7.24 crore electors in the draft rolls.
The SIR has come under sharp criticism from opposition parties who have claimed that it will disenfranchise crores of genuine citizens of their voting rights.
The Commission has asserted that it will not allow any eligible citizen to be left out of the voter list and at the same time not let any ineligible person be on the list.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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