Daily Bulletin

The Election Commission of India (ECI) today directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit the homes of individuals issued notices during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to collect required documents for uploading on the ECINet platform. This decision, unanimously approved for all States and Union Territories, clarifies that electors will generally not be called for hearings by Electoral Registration Officers, with hearings conducted only in exceptional circumstances, preferably online. The ECI also extended the period for filing claims and objections for Delhi till October 30, and the disposal of notices and claims till November 30, 2026.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has drawn significant political reactions, with RJD workers protesting in Ranchi today, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and accusing the ECI of favouring the BJP. Separately, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced a joint public march in Mumbai on October 4, 2026, to protest the SIR exercise, alleging it undermines the electoral process. Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed concerns over reported rifts within the ECI and called for revisiting the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, to include the Chief Justice of India in the appointment committee.

The Election Commission has extended the deadline for filing suggestions and objections in Maharashtra's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to October 12, 2026. This extension comes as over 1.18 crore notices have been issued against 1.22 crore flagged and unmapped electors, with a total of 3.29 crore electors either left out of the draft roll or undergoing a separate notice process.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the non-recovery of a train ticket from a deceased passenger cannot be grounds to reject a compensation claim, restoring an Rs 8 lakh award to the parents of a man who died after falling from a moving train in Gujarat in 2017. A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and AS Chandurkar stated that the deceased could be treated as a bona fide passenger based on available evidence, including his father’s statement, as the Railways failed to rebut it. The court directed the compensation awarded by the Railway Claims Tribunal to be paid within 30 days.

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee today alleged that party leaders were kept under "house arrest" and prevented from attending a rally in Serampore, West Bengal. She claimed that BJP workers had taken over the route to the venue and accused the police and administration of turning a "blind eye" to alleged attacks on TMC leaders and workers, asserting her intention to attend the rally which she stated had court permission.

Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant today inaugurated the country's first Victims Rights Centre in Patna, established at the Bihar State Legal Services Authority campus. This pioneering centre aims to provide comprehensive victim-centric case management, ensuring access to legal rights, psychological support, and counselling under one roof. On the occasion, a Transgender Helpline was also launched, and multi-utility vehicles were flagged off to extend legal aid services to the wider populace.

The Election Commission (EC) clarified today that letters sent by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan were not concerning policy matters or the IT division, but rather "related to the functioning of an officer on deputation to the ECI." This clarification follows reports of alleged dissent within the poll body regarding changes in work allocation and oversight of the ECINet system, a unified technology platform launched on January 22. The EC has announced the formation of a committee, headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT, to review ECINet for compliance with statutory provisions, while affirming that field officers retain role-based access to the system as per their statutory powers.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) convened on September 26, 2026, to announce several key decisions regarding electoral roll management and IT infrastructure. The Commission directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to conduct home visits for electors with unmapped data or logical discrepancies during the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR), eliminating the need for them to appear at ERO/AERO offices, with online hearings to be strengthened. Furthermore, District Election Officers (DEOs) are mandated to establish help desks and special camps for vulnerable populations such as those in night shelters and homeless individuals.