Overview
- An Election Commission bulletin says 50.95 crore enumeration forms are printed (99.91%) and 42.18 crore distributed (82.71%) across 12 states and UTs, with enumeration running November 4–December 4 and draft rolls due December 9.
- In West Bengal, officials report 7.14 crore forms distributed to 93.22% of electors and expect to finish distribution by Friday, as the CEO’s office also seeks UIDAI data on roughly 32–34 lakh Aadhaar numbers deactivated after deaths for use in hearings.
- The Supreme Court has issued notice on petitions challenging the October 27 SIR order, sought the EC’s reply within two weeks, kept related High Court cases in abeyance, and scheduled detailed hearings for November 26–27.
- Kerala has asked the High Court to defer the SIR until after December local body elections, citing resource constraints, with the court set to deliver its decision on Friday.
- Political contention has sharpened after the EC allowed parties to appoint booth-level agents from any booth within the same Assembly constituency, a change the Trinamool Congress alleges benefits the BJP, which the BJP disputes.