NEW DELHI : With the US slapping a punishing 50% tariff on Indian goods, New Delhi is changing tack that will help in the log term. Even as uncertainty looms over a bilateral trade agreement with the world's largest economy, the Indian government on its part is working on a reform-heavy game plan to increase ease of doing business, strengthen manufacturing, and keep foreign investors coming, two senior government officials directly involved in the consultations told Mint, requesting anonymity.

       US President Donald Trump's latest move, which will double the tariff on Indian goods from 27 August, targets $6.2 billion in garment exports, $1.3 billion in leather goods, and billions more in chemicals, pharma, shrimp and petroleum. While the textile and leather sectors face an immediate competitiveness shock, the Narendra Modi government is using the crisis to accelerate ease-of-doing-business reforms: a single-window clearance system modelled on passport services, side-letter deals with trusted partners, and streamlined land and contract processes.

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       New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reiterated India’s position for a peaceful settlement of the conflict and support for efforts aimed at restoring peace at the earliest. Zelenskyy, however, raised the issue of how Russian energy exports are helping Moscow to keep the war going.

       “We also discussed in detail the sanctions against Russia. I noted that it is necessary to limit the export of Russian energy, particularly oil, to reduce its potential and ability to finance the continuation of this war. It is important that every leader who has tangible leverage over Russia sends the corresponding signals to Moscow," Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

       India and the US are already at loggerheads over the import of Russian oil. US President Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on India for buying Russian energy, taking the total duty to 50%. The additional tariffs are aimed at cutting Russia's oil revenues and forcing it into a ceasefire. The new rate will come into effect on 27 August.

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       India, however, has maintained that its imports are based on market factors along with the objective of ensuring energy security. In a statement on 6 August, the ministry of external affairs described the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".

       Russia has emerged as the top oil supplier to India since the West barred the procurement of Russian energy in 2022, prompting Moscow to offer deep discounts. Russian oil now comprises about 36% of India's total oil imports compared to 2.5% before the start of the war in February 2022.

       On 2 August, Mint reported that India continues to buy oil from Russia notwithstanding the punishing penalty.

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       Meanwhile, Zelenksyy also said: "I had a long conversation with the Prime Minister of India @narendramodi. We discussed in detail all important issues – both of our bilateral cooperation and the overall diplomatic situation. I am grateful to the Prime Minister for his warm words of support for our people."

       In a post on X, prime minister Modi said: “Glad to speak with President Zelenskyy and hear his perspectives on recent developments. I conveyed India’s consistent position on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict. India remains committed to making every possible contribution in this regard, as well as to further strengthening bilateral ties with Ukraine."

       An official statement from the Prime Minister's Office said that President Zelenskyy shared his views on recent developments in Ukraine.

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       "Prime Minister thanked President Zelenskyy and reaffirmed India’s steadfast and consistent position for peaceful settlement of the conflict and support for efforts aimed at earliest restoration of peace. PM reiterated India’s commitment to extend all possible support in this regard," said the statement.

       During the conversation, they also reviewed progress in the India-Ukraine bilateral partnership and discussed ways to further enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest and agreed to remain in touch.

       The Election Commission of India (ECI) has had an impeccable record of setting up election booths – sometimes even for a single voter – in line with its mottos ‘no voter to be left behind’ and ‘every vote counts’.

       But in the past few weeks, large-scale deletion of voters from Bihar’s draft electoral roll and allegations of voter fraud by leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi have put the election commission under scrutiny.

       On 24 June, the ECI announced the start of the special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls ahead of elections there. The process included verifying about 80 million voters in the state.

       By 1 August, the first phase of the exercise was completed and data was released to the public. Much to the shock of the nation, more than 6.5 million voters had been removed from the electoral rolls, or about 8.3% of total voters before the rushed exercise.

       Updating and maintaining voter lists across the country is crucial for a fair and robust electoral process, and is conducted regularly in India. However, in a country with nearly a billion voters, these exercises require enormous effort and involve some amount of error.

       However, the launch of SIR in Bihar—which is to be extended to the entire country—has raised eyebrows, particularly because of its rushed timelines, stringent documentation requirements, and the sheer quantity of deletions.

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       A break from tradition

       The ECI regularly updates voter lists through a standard periodic process called the special summary revision (SSR). However, this year it launched SIR in Bihar—for the first time since it was first conducted in the state in 2003—to revise voter lists against the backdrop of rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, and non-reporting of deaths, among other issues.

       A Mint analysis of the district-wise deletion of voters shows that some of these areas saw close contests in the Lok Sabha polls. Among the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar that saw the thinnest margins of victory, ranging from 13,661 to 59,808, eight saw more than 100,000 voters deleted.

       SIR was controversial from the start as political parties and civil society members asked why it was being conducted just a few months before the assembly elections in Bihar, expressing worries about potential disenfranchisement.

       The ECI aims to complete the exercise and have a final roll by 30 September after allowing citizens to file objections between 1 August and 1 September. The commission, for its part, has said no names will be deleted without notice but has refused to share individual names or reasons for deletions.

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       Close calls

       Since last week Rahul Gandhi has made a string of allegations against the ECI, accusing it of five types of ‘vote chori’ (theft of votes)—duplicate voters, fake addresses, several voters at a single address, invalid photos, and misuse of Form 6 for registration of new voters, including change of address and re-enrolment.

       The Congress leader claimed that over 100,000 votes were created out of thin air in Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency.

       While the ECI rejected the allegations, there is some evidence of voter duplication and dubious voter entries in electoral rolls that needs to be addressed, especially since Indian elections are often close battles.

       A Mint analysis of past six Lok Sabha elections shows about a fifth of seats at least were won with margins of less than 50,000 votes. In 2024, as many as 17 seats were decided by fewer than 5,000 votes.

       As such razor-thin victories often prove crucial in shaping India's political landscape, it's vital for the world's largest democracy to address these issues robustly and transparently.

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