Daily Briefing | SIR: between draft changes and House debates

🚨 Big Story

Discrepancies between the Election Commission’s draft and final order on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls highlight the key concerns surrounding the exercise.

An investigation by The Indian Express has found: On June 24, Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu put on record a note of caution on the draft order, stating that “genuine voters”, as well as old, sick, disabled, poor and other vulnerable groups should not feel “harassed”. His concerns found echo in the final order. There was, however, another telling change. While the draft order mentioned the Citizenship Act and its amendments, the final order dropped these references, ending a paragraph in an incomplete sentence that remains unexplained to this date.

Why are the changes significant? Sandhu’s note serves as an early warning of the chaos that unfolded on the ground in Bihar amid a scramble for documents and confusion among voters. The second change, meanwhile, bears out EC’s initial reasoning for the SIR. Read Damini Nath’s report.

In the House: The government has yet to agree to the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on SIR in Parliament, prompting protests and a wash-out on the first day of the Winter Session. However, the government has now assured that it was not averse to the discussion. According to sources, senior Cabinet ministers held several meetings to finalise the debate’s format.

🎧 In today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode, we discuss the routine gridlocks in Parliament and how they impact productivity. Tune in.

⚡Only in Express

Potboiler: Why has DK Shivakumar chosen to up the ante to replace Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah at this point? There’s no doubt that Siddaramaiah enjoys the support of a majority of the MLAs, but most will follow the party high command’s direction. With the 2028 elections near, this may be a “now or never” moment for DKS to mount pressure on the high command to keep its “word” on the alleged power-sharing formula. Contributing editor Neerja Chowdhury writes about the consequences of the Karnataka showdown for the Congress party. Read.

📰 From the Front Page

Crisis: There’s more to the “resignation” of Harendra Singh, Hockey India’s women’s team coach, than meets the eye. The Indian Express has learnt that several players had complained to the Union Sports Ministry of Singh’s “behaviour” and “poor performance” under him. Singh was appointed just last year in April, and since then, 10-11 players have had injuries, 50 per cent of the team has expressed unwillingness to continue, and at least two formal complaints have been filed against him. Mihir Vasavda has more details.

📌 Must Read

‘Discontent’: Days after 4,000 students went on a rampage around the VIT Bhopal University, a probe by a government-constituted panel has found that the administration allegedly tried to cover up a jaundice outbreak on campus. It also reported an “atmosphere of fear-based discipline” and dissatisfaction with hostel mess services.

On the run: Nitin and Chetan Sandesara of the Sterling Biotech group are accused of defrauding banks to the tune of Rs 16,000 crore. They fled India during investigations. On November 19, the Supreme Court allowed the quashing of all FIRs against them if they deposited Rs 5,100 crore as a one-time settlement for their debt. This could set a precedent for other bank loan fraud accused, from Nirav Modi to Mehul Choksi.

Self-reliance: Rare earth permanent magnets (REPM) are crucial for a wide range of technologies, from electric vehicles to aerospace and defence applications. However, China controls over 90 per cent of the manufacturing and raw material processing needed to produce these magnets. Last week, India took a small step towards reducing reliance on China for its REPM imports. The government approved a Rs 7,280-crore scheme to promote indigenous manufacturing of REPMs. Pratyush Deep explains key factors of the scheme.

⏳ And Finally…

Phase 1 of local body elections will be held in Maharashtra today, after an eight-year gap amid controversy over OBC reservation. As many as 222 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats will go to the polls. The date for the high-stakes elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the capital city, Mumbai, is yet to be announced. Notably, the BMC is Asia’s richest civic body, with a budget larger than that of some states. Zeeshan Shaikh traces the history of the body, from its role under the East India Company to the present-day model.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta

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