This article covers the introduction of India's BH series for vehicle registration, addressing the increasing mobility of its workforce and extending eligibility to private sector employees with multi-state offices. It also highlights controversies surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, placing the Election Commission of India under scrutiny and featuring expert opinions. Additionally, the piece touches upon THE WEEK's Maritime Conclave and analyzes the upcoming Israeli elections, contrasting the political styles of its leading figures. Finally, it celebrates investigative journalism's role in upholding democracy, referencing a significant scoop on the Election Commission of India.

This article covers the introduction of India's BH series for vehicle registration, addressing the increasing mobility of its workforce and extending eligibility to private sector employees with multi-state offices. It also highlights controversies surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, placing the Election Commission of India under scrutiny and featuring expert opinions. Additionally, the piece touches upon THE WEEK's Maritime Conclave and analyzes the upcoming Israeli elections, contrasting the political styles of its leading figures. Finally, it celebrates investigative journalism's role in upholding democracy, referencing a significant scoop on the Election Commission of India.

This article covers the introduction of India's BH series for vehicle registration, addressing the increasing mobility of its workforce and extending eligibility to private sector employees with multi-state offices. It also highlights controversies surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, placing the Election Commission of India under scrutiny and featuring expert opinions. Additionally, the piece touches upon THE WEEK's Maritime Conclave and analyzes the upcoming Israeli elections, contrasting the political styles of its leading figures. Finally, it celebrates investigative journalism's role in upholding democracy, referencing a significant scoop on the Election Commission of India.

WHEN THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA introduced the BH series for vehicle registration, it acknowledged the mobile nature of employment and extended the courtesy beyond the government sector.

The obvious candidates for BH plates were defence personnel, Union and state government employees, and employees of public sector undertakings. But the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways displayed some out-of-the-box thinking when it extended eligibility to employees of private organisations with active offices in four or more states or Union territories. By that order, employees of THE WEEK can actually apply for BH plates.

As India’s domestic population becomes more mobile, tracking it becomes a challenge. But it is not as much of a task as it would have been a decade ago, with digital tools providing solutions to most, if not all, problems. Then again, digital tools come with their own challenges and need appropriate safeguards.

In this context, Senior Special Correspondent Kanu Sarda looks at the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls and the controversies that have now put the Election Commission of India under the lens.

Additionally, she has interviewed former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa, and Principal Correspondent Nirmal Jovial writes about Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s stint in Kerala. Faizan Mustafa, former vice-chancellor of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, addresses the legal aspect of the controversy. Correspondent Badar Bashir’s article is on how the Congress and the Cockroach Janta Party are handling this issue politically.

Far from the political battle, THE WEEK hosted its third Maritime Conclave in Ahmedabad, with Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal as the chief guest. The Deendayal Port Authority at Kandla co-hosted the event. My sincere thanks to the minister and Kandla Port for powering this annual sharing of ideas on a topic that is so crucial to securing our borders and powering our economy.

Far from home, another election is brewing in Israel and Senior Assistant News Editor Ajish P. Joy analyses the chances of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. Ajish says that they are like chalk and cheese. One is known for grand speeches and the other is a career soldier—“measured, restrained and occasionally awkward”.

Politicians have luxuries journalists do not. They can lean on rhetoric; journalists cannot. That is why Ritika Chopra’s scoop in The Indian Express on the ECI matters so much for journalism and democracy.

I was not surprised to see Ritika’s byline under the article, as she had won the International Press Institute (India Chapter) award in 2021 for her reporting on the ECI. That article also covered the rift among the election commissioners. The jury chairman was the inimitable Soli Sorabjee. The consummate lawyer was most impressed by the documents that Chopra had sourced to back her story.

Chopra had then told the IPI website that the award “reaffirms the fact that there is no replacement for shoe-leather reporting: building sources, scouring documents and confirming and re-confirming facts”. Five years down the line and every day in between, she has lived by that set of rules.

As the controversy hit the fan, I was reminded of something that the formidable T.N. Seshan once said: “I am not the Chief Election Commissioner of the Government of India, but the Chief Election Commissioner of India.”

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