The Election Commission of India informed the Madras High Court that it is reviewing guidelines to strengthen restrictions on the use of children in election campaigns. The exercise follows allegations of minors being involved in political campaigning and electoral influence during the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
The BJP criticised the INDIA alliance for writing to Chief Justice Surya Kant over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged the Opposition was spreading misinformation, creating fear about elections, and attempting to undermine democratic institutions.
The Madras High Court directed the Election Commission of India to furnish election records relating to Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to an unsuccessful candidate seeking to challenge the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni election result. The Court held that delaying access to documents cannot defeat a candidate’s statutory right to file an election petition.
A PIL before the Supreme Court seeks constituency-wise disclosure of voter exclusions and electoral roll changes during West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision, alleging transparency concerns and potential impact on voter participation ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, despite the Court upholding the Election Commission’s revision powers.
The Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that US court judgments cannot be blindly relied upon, questioning due process in recent American actions cited by petitioners. Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi argued that India’s constitutional framework on electoral roll revision cannot be compared with US practices while defending the SIR exercise.