Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has proposed a major electoral reform by seeking to lower the minimum age for contesting Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections from 25 years to 21 years. The Chief Minister has also proposed reducing the eligibility age for contesting Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections from 30 years to 25 years. Telangana is expected to convene a special Assembly session in early August to pass a resolution urging the Centre to amend the relevant laws. Linking the proposal to the recent NEET paper leak protests, Revanth Reddy said India's youth deserve greater representation in politics and governance. He questioned why 21-year-olds, who are eligible to become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers and contest local body elections, cannot contest parliamentary or assembly elections.

Telangana CM Proposes Lowering Election Contest Age to 21 | Gen Z in Politics?

Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and electoral reforms, the parliamentarians reached an agreement to run the House "smoothly" after the government accepted demands of opposition to discuss the poll reforms and ongoing SIR drive.&nbsp;Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday (Dec 02) convened a Business Advisory Committee meeting with floor leaders, where the Treasury and Opposition agreed to hold a 10-hour-long discussion on electoral reforms in the Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) on December 9 and 10.&nbsp;The house will discuss the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram from 12 in the afternoon on Monday (Dec 08), while the discussion on the poll reforms will take place at 12 in the Afternoon on Tuesday (Dec 09).&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sanchar-saathi-row-opposition-alleges-snooping-govt-says-it-s-not-mandatory-sanchar-sathi-oposition-goverment-narendra-modi-scindia-1764675604791">Sanchar Saathi App Row: Opposition alleges ‘snooping’, govt says it’s not mandatory</a>&nbsp;Kiren Rijiju, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, informed about the decision taken in the all-party meeting. "During the All Party Meeting Chaired by Hon'ble Speaker Lok Sabha today, it has been decided to hold discussion in Lok Sabha on 150th Anniversary of National Song 'Vande Mataram' from 12 Noon on Monday, 8th Dec and discussion on Election Reforms from 12 noon on Tuesday, 9th Dec," he posted on X.&nbsp;The decision came following repeated disruption in the parliament earlier in the day, with the Opposition demanding an immediate debate on the ongoing pan-India SIR drive. They alleged that the government is orchestrating vote theft through the drive.&nbsp;Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the SIR issue is an urgent matter and the government should hold a discussion immediately.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/imran-khan-s-health-is-completely-fine-uzma-khanum-after-meeting-her-brother-in-adiala-jail-1764681088758">Imran Khan’s health 'completely fine' but being 'mentally tortured': Uzma Khanum after meeting her brother in Adiala Jail</a>&nbsp;"More than 28 people have died due to the SIR's work pressure. I want the discussion to take place now, only in the interest of Democracy, citizens and our country. I request that you allow the discussion. We will cooperate with you if you allow," he posted on X.&nbsp;

Parliament is scheduled to discuss electoral reforms and the ongoing SIR drive on December 9 and 10.

Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and electoral reforms, the parliamentarians reached an agreement to run the House "smoothly" after the government accepted demands of opposition to discuss the poll reforms and ongoing SIR drive. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday (Dec 02) convened a Business Advisory Committee meeting with floor leaders, where the Treasury and Opposition agreed to hold a 10-hour-long discussion on electoral reforms in the Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) on December 9 and 10. The house will discuss the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram from 12 in the afternoon on Monday (Dec 08), while the discussion on the poll reforms will take place at 12 in the Afternoon on Tuesday (Dec 09). Also Read: Sanchar Saathi App Row: Opposition alleges ‘snooping’, govt says it’s not mandatory Kiren Rijiju, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, informed about the decision taken in the all-party meeting. "During the All Party Meeting Chaired by Hon'ble Speaker Lok Sabha today, it has been decided to hold discussion in Lok Sabha on 150th Anniversary of National Song 'Vande Mataram' from 12 Noon on Monday, 8th Dec and discussion on Election Reforms from 12 noon on Tuesday, 9th Dec," he posted on X. The decision came following repeated disruption in the parliament earlier in the day, with the Opposition demanding an immediate debate on the ongoing pan-India SIR drive. They alleged that the government is orchestrating vote theft through the drive. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the SIR issue is an urgent matter and the government should hold a discussion immediately. Also Read: Imran Khan’s health 'completely fine' but being 'mentally tortured': Uzma Khanum after meeting her brother in Adiala Jail "More than 28 people have died due to the SIR's work pressure. I want the discussion to take place now, only in the interest of Democracy, citizens and our country. I request that you allow the discussion. We will cooperate with you if you allow," he posted on X.

Parliament is scheduled to discuss electoral reforms and the ongoing SIR drive on December 9 and 10.

Parliament set to debate electoral reforms: Govt agrees to Opposition demands amid SIR row

Pakistan opposition parties on Tuesday slammed Imran Khan-led Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for convening a joint session of parliament without holding talks to evolve consensus on electoral reforms.

Senators belonging to the joint opposition staged a walkout from the house as a mark of protest against Khan`s government for buying time in the name of efforts to build consensus to win back the support of its estranged allies (PML-Q) of having plans to bulldoze all controversial bills in the special sitting of parliament, reported Dawn.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), a key ally of the PTI at the Centre and in Punjab and decided to break up and launch its own campaign for the next general elections after rising tensions between the two coalition partners earlier.

Raising the issue in the house, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Yousuf Raza Gilani said the convening of the joint session to bulldoze legislation at a time when the opposition had agreed for talks clearly manifested ill-will, reported Dawn.

"We expressed willingness to hold talks for the greater cause, democracy, the rule of law and Constitution and for the betterment of the country. But they are playing to the gallery...This is a mala fide intention [of the government] because they were short of required numbers to get all the bills passed," he said.

Gilani said the government only used the ploy of talks to gain more time to woo its allies who earlier had reservations over the bills, reported Dawn.Pakistan Peoples Party`s (PPP) parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman said that the opposition wanted a consensus on the controversial bills to give a positive message to the public.She said the opposition also formed a joint steering committee to hammer out a joint strategy and wanted to find a solution within parliament.

She rejected the impression an adviser to the prime minister tried to give, saying that the opposition held no secret dialogue with the government, reported Dawn.

"Why the committee was announced if the government wanted to bulldoze the 21 bills already passed by the National Assembly and other ordinances in the joint sitting?" she asked.

Earlier, the federal government had postponed the joint sitting of parliament, scheduled for November 11, saying that it wanted to develop a consensus with the opposition on the controversial bills, including the electoral reforms bills providing for use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and introduction of I-voting system for overseas Pakistanis in the next general elections.

A day after the joint opposition sought a written assurance from the government for holding negotiations on the bills, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had on Friday written a letter to Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif for initiating talks.He had also formed a committee on legislative business with consensus from the government and opposition. But without any talks between the government and the opposition, the joint session has been convened again on November 17 (today), reported Dawn.

Pakistan opposition parties on Tuesday slammed Imran Khan-led Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for convening a joint session of parliament without holding talks to evolve consensus on electoral reforms.

Pakistan opposition parties on Tuesday slammed Imran Khan-led Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for convening a joint session of parliament without holding talks to evolve consensus on electoral reforms. Senators belonging to the joint opposition staged a walkout from the house as a mark of protest against Khan`s government for buying time in the name of efforts to build consensus to win back the support of its estranged allies (PML-Q) of having plans to bulldoze all controversial bills in the special sitting of parliament, reported Dawn. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), a key ally of the PTI at the Centre and in Punjab and decided to break up and launch its own campaign for the next general elections after rising tensions between the two coalition partners earlier. Raising the issue in the house, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Yousuf Raza Gilani said the convening of the joint session to bulldoze legislation at a time when the opposition had agreed for talks clearly manifested ill-will, reported Dawn. "We expressed willingness to hold talks for the greater cause, democracy, the rule of law and Constitution and for the betterment of the country. But they are playing to the gallery...This is a mala fide intention [of the government] because they were short of required numbers to get all the bills passed," he said. Gilani said the government only used the ploy of talks to gain more time to woo its allies who earlier had reservations over the bills, reported Dawn.Pakistan Peoples Party`s (PPP) parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman said that the opposition wanted a consensus on the controversial bills to give a positive message to the public.She said the opposition also formed a joint steering committee to hammer out a joint strategy and wanted to find a solution within parliament. She rejected the impression an adviser to the prime minister tried to give, saying that the opposition held no secret dialogue with the government, reported Dawn. "Why the committee was announced if the government wanted to bulldoze the 21 bills already passed by the National Assembly and other ordinances in the joint sitting?" she asked. Earlier, the federal government had postponed the joint sitting of parliament, scheduled for November 11, saying that it wanted to develop a consensus with the opposition on the controversial bills, including the electoral reforms bills providing for use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and introduction of I-voting system for overseas Pakistanis in the next general elections. A day after the joint opposition sought a written assurance from the government for holding negotiations on the bills, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser had on Friday written a letter to Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif for initiating talks.He had also formed a committee on legislative business with consensus from the government and opposition. But without any talks between the government and the opposition, the joint session has been convened again on November 17 (today), reported Dawn.

Pak opposition slams Imran khan govt for convening joint session without consensus on electoral reforms

After imposing the National Security Law in Hong Kong China now wants to control HK's electoral system and processes. A top Beijing official has signalled China-led electoral reforms for Hong Kong to ensure only patriots hold power.

WION Fineprint: Beijing plans to control Hong Kong's legislature

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray on Wednesday meet West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee in a bid to discuss electoral reforms and the current political situation in the country.

Thackeray arrived&nbsp;in Kolkata on Tuesday.

According to reports, Thackeray had called up Mamata Banerjee and expressed his desire to meet her and discuss the issue.&nbsp;

Opposition parties had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by tampering EVM machines. 
 
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had rejected opposition's accusation, saying that EVMs are tamper-proof and can't be hacked. 
 
Mamata Banerjee was one of the earliest interlocutors of the united opposition, wherein all like-minded anti-BJP parties had come under one umbrella to take on the saffron party in the Lok Sabha polls.

In June, Mamata had asked all the Opposition parties to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. "I ask all the 23 political parties in the opposition to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. We must raise our voices. Even a country like the US has banned EVMs," Banerjee said.&nbsp;

BJP returned to power with a thumping majority securing 303 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray on Wednesday meet West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee in a bid to discuss electoral reforms and the current political situation in the country.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray on Wednesday meet West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee in a bid to discuss electoral reforms and the current political situation in the country. Thackeray arrived in Kolkata on Tuesday. According to reports, Thackeray had called up Mamata Banerjee and expressed his desire to meet her and discuss the issue. Opposition parties had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of winning the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by tampering EVM machines. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had rejected opposition's accusation, saying that EVMs are tamper-proof and can't be hacked. Mamata Banerjee was one of the earliest interlocutors of the united opposition, wherein all like-minded anti-BJP parties had come under one umbrella to take on the saffron party in the Lok Sabha polls. In June, Mamata had asked all the Opposition parties to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. "I ask all the 23 political parties in the opposition to come together and demand the return of ballot papers. We must raise our voices. Even a country like the US has banned EVMs," Banerjee said. BJP returned to power with a thumping majority securing 303 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. (With inputs from agencies)

Raj Thackeray to meet Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, discuss electoral reforms

Zimbabwe police used riot-control measures to&nbsp;clamp&nbsp;down on supporters of electoral reforms in Harare on Friday, with the country&#39;s&nbsp;President Robert Mugabe saying that an Arab Spring-styled uprising would not happen in the country.&nbsp; 
 
The march for electoral reforms turned violent when police deployed&nbsp;tear gas and water cannons to&nbsp;disperse the protesters. The protesters retaliated by&nbsp;pelting stones at policemen and setting tyres ablaze. Some of the protesters also pulled down a sign of road named after Mugabe. 
 
Police broke the protest despite the court&#39;s order not to do so. Around 67 people have been arrested by Zimbabwean authorities. 
 
Ninety two-year-old Mugabe has been under increasing pressure to bring electoral reforms in the 2018 polls. It is expected that Mugabe, who has ruled the South African nation since 1987, will seek reelection that year.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They are burning tyres in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here,&quot; the nonagenarian said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;What politics is that when you burn tyres? We want peace in the country,&quot; he further said. 
 
Eighteen opposition parties have joined hands to demand changes in the electoral process. Opposition parties include&nbsp;the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the&nbsp;Zimbabwe&nbsp;People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru. 
 
The opposition leaders unanimously denounced the suppression of the march, and said it only emboldenend them to stage more such protests.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;If that was meant to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday,&quot; former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa said, adding that protests will continue &quot;until the day we vote&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We have had enough of ZANU-PF misrule,&quot; he said, referring to the&nbsp;Zimbabwe African National Union &ndash; Patriotic Front, the country&#39;s ruling party led by Mugabe. &nbsp;

Tsvangirai was equally scathing.&nbsp;&quot;The people&#39;s anger is very deep. The people&#39;s desperation is very deep,&quot; he said. 
 
Saying that the Mugabe regime was in its &quot;sunset hour&quot;, he said the &quot;brutal suppression&quot; on citizens would backfire on them. 
 
&quot;The government is nearing a tipping point in its ability to control a population long used to violence and hardship, and who now have little to lose in putting themselves at risk in forcing political concessions,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Mugabe&#39;s opponents have for long criticised the way elections are held in the country. Tsvangirai has, in the past, questioned the neutrality of the electoral commission, lamented absence of voters&#39; roll&nbsp;and possibility of bogus voting. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Police deployed?tear gas and water cannons to?disperse protesters who retaliated by?pelting stones and setting tyres ablaze

Zimbabwe police used riot-control measures to clamp down on supporters of electoral reforms in Harare on Friday, with the country's President Robert Mugabe saying that an Arab Spring-styled uprising would not happen in the country. The march for electoral reforms turned violent when police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. The protesters retaliated by pelting stones at policemen and setting tyres ablaze. Some of the protesters also pulled down a sign of road named after Mugabe. Police broke the protest despite the court's order not to do so. Around 67 people have been arrested by Zimbabwean authorities. Ninety two-year-old Mugabe has been under increasing pressure to bring electoral reforms in the 2018 polls. It is expected that Mugabe, who has ruled the South African nation since 1987, will seek reelection that year. "They are burning tyres in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here," the nonagenarian said. "What politics is that when you burn tyres? We want peace in the country," he further said. Eighteen opposition parties have joined hands to demand changes in the electoral process. Opposition parties include the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru. The opposition leaders unanimously denounced the suppression of the march, and said it only emboldenend them to stage more such protests. "If that was meant to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday," former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa said, adding that protests will continue "until the day we vote". "We have had enough of ZANU-PF misrule," he said, referring to the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, the country's ruling party led by Mugabe. Tsvangirai was equally scathing. "The people's anger is very deep. The people's desperation is very deep," he said. Saying that the Mugabe regime was in its "sunset hour", he said the "brutal suppression" on citizens would backfire on them. "The government is nearing a tipping point in its ability to control a population long used to violence and hardship, and who now have little to lose in putting themselves at risk in forcing political concessions," he said. Mugabe's opponents have for long criticised the way elections are held in the country. Tsvangirai has, in the past, questioned the neutrality of the electoral commission, lamented absence of voters' roll and possibility of bogus voting. (WION with inputs from agencies)

As protest turns violent, Mugabe says there'll be no Arab Spring-style uprising

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