 "What is Election Commission of India (ECI)?")
Election Commission of India
What is Election Commission of India (ECI)?
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous and permanent constitutional body responsible for organising free and fair elections in the Union and States of India. The Constitution grants the ECI with the power of direction, superintendence, and control of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, the office of president of India and the office of vice-president of India. The ECI does not deal with the elections to the urban bodies such as Municipalities and Panchayats in the states and hence, a separate State Election Commission.
Powers and responsibilities
The Commission’s functions and powers with respect to elections are divided into
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Latest Updates on Election Commission of India
Election Commission extends timeline for SIR in 5 states and 1 UT
The decision came after several extension requests were received from the Chief Electoral Officers
 "Election Commission extends timeline for SIR in 5 states and 1 UT")
Mamata calls Shah 'dangerous', warns of dharna over SIR voter deletions
The chief minister further alleged that the Election Commission was deploying officers aligned with the BJP to influence the process
 "Mamata calls Shah 'dangerous', warns of dharna over SIR voter deletions")
EC to share list of dead, absent voters with parties before SIR draft roll
The draft electoral rolls in these nine states and three Union territories will be published on December 16
 "EC to share list of dead, absent voters with parties before SIR draft roll")
Lok Sabha to continue SIR discussion on 8th day of ongoing winter session
The upper house of Parliament is also set to take up discussion on electoral reforms after further discussion on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram on Wednesday
 "Lok Sabha to continue SIR discussion on 8th day of ongoing winter session")
Vote chori anti-national act, EC colluding with BJP: Rahul Gandhi
BJP defends EVMs, cites Rajiv Gandhi's pilot project, accuses Opposition of double standards
 "Vote chori anti-national act, EC colluding with BJP: Rahul Gandhi")
Supreme Court warns of 'anarchy' as BLOs face threats during SIR process
The Supreme Court voiced concern over booth-level officers being threatened during the SIR of electoral rolls and asked the Election Commission to flag any non-cooperation by states
 "Supreme Court warns of 'anarchy' as BLOs face threats during SIR process")
EC has no legal right to conduct SIR, claims Congress' Manish Tewari
He said the law stipulates that the panel be comprised of the prime minister, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and a cabinet minister
 "EC has no legal right to conduct SIR, claims Congress' Manish Tewari")
StatsGuru: Half the nation's electoral power hinges on the SIR exercise
India's voter base continues to expand, with 12 states adding 160 million electors since 2004 as the Election Commission prepares to release fresh SIR data on December 16
Around 76.2 mn enumeration forms digitised in Bengal since SIR launch: EC
An Election Commission official said 99.43 per cent of the total number of distributed enumeration forms were digitised till Saturday afternoon
ECI extends Kerala electoral roll revision timeline ahead of polls
The local body polls will be held in the state on December 9 and 11 in two phases
SC directs states to deploy more staff to support BLOs on SIR duty
Amid reports of multiple BLO deaths during the electoral roll revision, the Supreme Court ordered states to deploy additional staff and consider exemptions on a case-by-case basis to reduce hardships
 "SC directs states to deploy more staff to support BLOs on SIR duty")
Suvendu Adhikari urges EC for stricter monitoring during SIR in West Bengal
Earlier this week, Suvendu wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging a violation of the "neutrality" principle and misuse of police by the TMC government during the SIR exercise
 "Suvendu Adhikari urges EC for stricter monitoring during SIR in West Bengal")
CEC Gyanesh Kumar assumes chair of international poll body for 2026
In his acceptance speech, Kumar highlighted the scale of India's democratic exercise, noting that the country has over 900 million electors across 28 states and eight Union Territories
 "CEC Gyanesh Kumar assumes chair of international poll body for 2026")
SC urges ECI to extend time for submitting forms for electoral rolls
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was informed that the ECI had already extended the original deadline from December 4 to December 11
 "SC urges ECI to extend time for submitting forms for electoral rolls")
2,208 booths in Bengal under scanner after 0 dead or duplicate voters found
Among such booths, the highest 760 is in South 24 Parganas district, followed by 228 in Purulia and 226 in Murshidabad, they said. Howrah district has 94 such booths and Kolkata one
Controversy over SIR in TN baseless, driven by political motives: ECI to SC
Election Commission tells Supreme Court allegations are exaggerated, cites high verification and political participation
 "Controversy over SIR in TN baseless, driven by political motives: ECI to SC")
Govt not averse to taking up discussion on SIR, electoral reforms: Rijiju
He was responding to opposition members who were demanding an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls or electoral reforms in the House
 "Govt not averse to taking up discussion on SIR, electoral reforms: Rijiju")
Battle of the rolls in Bengal: How SIR is deepening political faultlines
The report looks at how the SIR has widened political faultlines, and triggered anxiety among voters, ahead of Assembly polls next year
SIR to dominate Opposition's agenda in Winter Session of Parliament
Opposition has sought replies on Delhi's air pollution, the new labour codes and more
 "SIR to dominate Opposition's agenda in Winter Session of Parliament")
ECI extends nationwide SIR process by one week amid ongoing roll updates
The draft electoral rolls will now be published on December 16 in place of December 9, while the final voters' list will be out on February 14, 2026
