Opposition parties to meet Friday to discuss EVM issue
New Delhi, Jan 31: Top leaders of various opposition parties will meet Friday to discuss their future course of action on the issue of alleged tampering of EVMs and might also move the Election Commission thereafter, opposition leaders said.
Sources said the Congress has convened a meeting of opposition leaders to discuss a joint strategy on the issue of alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) as some parties have questioned their efficacy and demanded that the EC revert to the old system of ballot paper.
The sources add that the opposition parties may petition the Election Commission (EC) to demand that some percentage of VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) be compulsorily counted to match the EVMs.
"The opposition parties are meeting seriously to raise the issue of EVMs. We are trying to discuss the issue in a meeting of all opposition parties. We are demanding that the EC compulsorily count some percentage of VVPAT (paper trail of votes) with the EVMs," said TMC leader Derek O'Brien.
Various opposition parties have been claiming that only 2-3 countries across the world are using EVMs and the rest have reverted to the ballot paper system following complaints of EVM malfunctioning.
The Congress, while supporting the demand for reverting to the ballot paper system, has maintained that since there is very less time left for Lok Sabha elections, the EC should ensure counting of paper trail in 50 per cent booths across the country to ensure that there is no doubt in the minds of the voters.
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India, China bear brunt of Trump's tougher visa policies: report
Washington (PTI): India and China bore the maximum brunt of tougher immigration policy unveiled by the Trump administration which issued 2.5 lakh fewer visas in the first eight months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to a media report.
From January to August 2025, the State Department approved 11 per cent fewer permanent resident and temporary visas compared with the same period a year before, according to State Department data released in early March.
These visas are generally issued for students, workers, and family members of citizens and legal residents.
The 11 per cent drop doesn't include tourist visas, which also fell during the same period, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
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According to the report, visas for Chinese and Indian nationals fell by about 84,000 compared with the same period in 2024, largely reflecting a drop-off in international students and workers from those countries.
Business and tourism visas declined by about 3.4 per cent in the first eight months of 2025 compared with that period a year earlier, a drop of nearly two lakh visas.
Between January and August 2024, the US had issued more than 3.44 lakh student visas, the number declined to a little over 2.38 lakh during the same period in 2025.
The family preference visa, which includes adult children and siblings of US citizens fell by more than 27 per cent or by over 44,000.
The visas issued to sea and airline workers also reduced by 30,876, while those issued for culture exchange visitors declined by 29,594.
The visas issued to fiance/spouse declined from 37,229 in the first eight months of 2024 to 18,894 for the period under review in 2025.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that “President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to put American citizens first and every policy decision he’s made has reflected that priority.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said: “A visa is a privilege, not a right. Unlike the Biden administration, President Trump is not willing to compromise the safety of American citizens to allow mass migration of unvetted foreign nationals into our country.”
