Daily Bulletin

An investigative report by The Indian Express on September 23, 2026, revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi lodged written objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months against decisions and actions by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. These objections primarily concern the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including changes to Form 6 for new voters, which were deemed "unauthorised and illegal," and the centralisation of the electoral-roll database, restricting access for local election officials.

Following The Indian Express report, Supreme Court Justice Dipankar Datta emphasized the imperative for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to not only be independent but also be perceived as such. Several opposition leaders, including Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and DMK president M.K. Stalin, demanded the immediate resignation or removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for an investigation into the ECI's functioning, while BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra defended the ECI, stating that internal deliberations are a sign of a healthy democracy.

During the "Bharat Taxi" launch event in Lucknow today, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath also unveiled the 'Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana' Portal, the Urvarak Setu Mobile App developed by the state's Cooperation Department, and the UPCDC Mobile App of the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Database Centre. Additionally, Memoranda of Understanding were exchanged between Bharat Taxi and the Airport Authority, Lucknow Metro Rail, and Lucknow Police to facilitate service integration.

Odisha's electoral roll revision concluded with a net deletion of approximately 17.67 lakh names, representing about 5.3% of the electorate, bringing the final count to 3,16,32,754 voters as of September 21, 2026. This deletion rate was notably lower than several other states, including Tamil Nadu (11.55%), Chhattisgarh (11.77%), and Uttar Pradesh (13.2%). Factors contributing to this lower rate included a high enumeration form return rate of 93.97%, fewer duplicate registrations, and the prevalence of seasonal migration where workers retain permanent addresses.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, that the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process was 'illegal' and accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of unilaterally managing the poll panel. Kejriwal demanded the immediate scrapping of the SIR process, reversal of voter list changes from the past two to three years, and restoration of the voter list from three years ago. He also called for fresh elections in several states, including Delhi, Bihar, and Maharashtra, citing 'vote-chori' allegations.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, requested the Chief Justice of India to explore the possibility of constituting a permanent five-judge bench to hear cases involving constitutional issues. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma flagged the 'inordinate delay' in resolving references to larger benches, some pending for five to 20 years or more. This observation came after the judges delivered split opinions on whether pleas challenging the 2023 law excluding the CJI from the selection panel for the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners should be referred to a larger bench.

Former Union Minister Smriti Irani has been appointed BJP in-charge for Haryana and Chhattisgarh, as announced by the party on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Additionally, Harish Dwivedi was given charge of Bihar and Karnataka, Tarun Chugh for Gujarat, and Baijayant Jay Panda for Maharashtra. Amit Malviya, Sadanand Tanawade, and Kamaljeet Sehrawat were named co-in-charges for Maharashtra, indicating significant organizational changes within the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Eight MLAs of Meghalaya’s United Democratic Party (UDP) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, in the presence of senior party leaders including Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. BJP MP Sambit Patra stated that the MLAs were impressed by the progress of the Northeast under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. This development marks a significant political realignment in Meghalaya.