EC Announces Phase 3 Of SIR Across 16 States, 3 UTs; J&K, Ladakh, Himachal Left Out

Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the BJP and the Election Commission after the newly formed West Bengal government led by Suvendu Adhikari appointed former chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal as the state’s chief secretary. Gandhi alleged collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission, claiming that bigger “thefts” were being rewarded. The opposition Trinamool Congress also criticised the appointment, calling it “shameless” and questioning the neutrality of the recently concluded Assembly elections. TMC leaders, including Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose, alleged that Agarwal’s elevation exposed bias in the electoral process. The BJP defended the move, stating that Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer, was the senior-most bureaucrat and appointed according to service rules.