Election Commission

The court questioned whether software can reject Form 8 applications from voters who shifted residence, warning that the process could leave eligible voters out of the electoral roll

The ECI has asked 20 states and UTs where SIR is complete to compare pre- and post-SIR rolls, identify voters left out and enrol them through Form 6

Cockroach Janta Party's Abhijeet Dipke announced protests in several states from tomorrow, stating the agitation will continue until CEC Kumar steps down

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's role in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise

The Election Commission has withdrawn the additional SIR-related declaration from the online voter enrolment Form 6 in states where the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has been completed, days after the full Commission decided that the requirement would apply only during the exercise. The declaration, which requires new applicants to furnish details linking themselves or their parents or grandparents to electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision, remains available on the ECINET portal in states and Union Territories where the SIR is underway. In states where SIR has concluded, the additional declaration has now been removed from the ECINET app and portal as well as the respective Chief Electoral Officer portals, leaving applicants seeking enrolment to fill only the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The move follows a September 26 meeting of the full Commission comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh ..

The hearing comes amid questions over the poll panel's decision-making process, after reports claimed that two Election Commissioners objected to several SIR-related orders

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission to decide the dispute between the two rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress over the party name and "flowers and grass" election symbol. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the rival factions to complete their pleadings in the proceedings before the poll panel within four weeks. The bench directed the Election Commission to decide the issue within three months after the parties complete their pleadings. The top court passed the order while hearing a plea filed by former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee against the EC's decision to freeze the TMC's name and party symbol. The Election Commission had allotted separate names and symbols to the two rival factions following its interim decision to bar both groups from using the 'All India Trinamool Congress' name and its reserved symbol pending a substantive determination of the dispute. In its interim orde

IndusInd Bank MD & CEO Rajiv Anand has said his name has been "unmapped" from the electoral roll and he has been asked to appear for a hearing to avoid deletion from the voter list. "I have been told my name is "unmapped" from the voting list. I have voted in every election ever since I have been eligible to vote. I hold a passport, PAN Card, voter ID card and Aadhar card. I am now being asked to appear for a hearing else my name will be deleted. Why should I?," Anand said in a X post on Sunday. "Indians have so many certificates to prove who they are. Aadhar card. PAN Card. Voter ID. Passport. You would think there is an identity crisis!", he said in another post. Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the Election Commission last week announced a slew of decisions for the ease of voters who have been issued notices, including doorstep collection of documents and extending deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra. The period for filing claims and objections has ...

Parties plan nationwide protests, seek to form a unified front to reject EC's statement on SIR, escalating their demands for CEC's resignation

Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday backed the Cockroach Janta Party's proposed October 2 protest seeking accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying efforts to improve accountability in the country and the electoral process deserved support. While he expressed his support for CJP's proposed agitation, Wangchuk added that he might not be physically present during the protest. His comments came amid a row over the functioning of the Election Commission following an Indian Express report's revelation that Election Commissioners S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions concerning voter registration, deletions and restoration of names and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The Election Commission on Saturday asserted that all decisions relating to SIR received the unanimous approval of all three commissioners. It also announced measures to assist voters facing notices during the revision

The Congress on Saturday said the Election Commission was in "damage control" mode after differences within the poll body came out following a media "expose" and demanded that the ongoing SIR exercise that has "disenfranchised crores" is suspended immediately. The Congress also said that nothing short of CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation or prosecution will suffice. The opposition party's reaction came after the Election Commission issued a statement asserting that all Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders were issued after approval from all three Election Commissioners and the changes in Form 6, through which names are included in the voters' list, have been upheld by the Supreme Court. The poll body also claimed that the letters sent by commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to the Cabinet Secretary were not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division, but to the working of an officer on deputation to it. Reacting sharply to the EC statement, ...

People issued notices during SIR need not appear for personal hearings, except in exceptional cases, the Election Commission said

Opposition INDIA bloc parties are likely to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss concerns over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, besides other issues, sources said. The proposed meeting comes amid increased coordination among opposition parties over the Election Commission following reports of differences within the poll panel over aspects of the SIR exercise. The parties have been in touch with each other on the issue and are discussing a joint response, sources added. The CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)-Liberation have demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an immediate halt to the SIR, while the Congress has also stepped up its attack on Kumar. The Congress Working Committee is scheduled to meet on September 29 to discuss its strategy on the issue. The developments have also brought West Bengal's bitter political rivals, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and the CPI(M), on the same page on the Election

From electoral-roll revisions and Telangana politics to institutional trust and the business of spirituality, today's opinions examine governance, political strategy and consumer communities

Before deciding that the Election Commission of India has been unfair to the Opposition, we need to enable it to work efficiently and transparently

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking criminal prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged violations of statutory duties in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The plea filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi through advocate Chand Qureshi seeks that decisions, guidelines and software modifications allegedly undertaken by Kumar without the concurrence of the two election commissioners be declared unconstitutional and void. It also seeks a declaration that all such decisions relating to the SIR are illegal and restoration of the original Form 6. It further seeks an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged deletion of around 13 crore voters from electoral rolls during the revision exercise. The petitioner has sought criminal prosecution of Kumar, Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg and Seema Khanna, IT head of the Election Commission (EC), alleging violation of their statut

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday urged opposition parties to stop participating in elections if they believe the electoral process is being rigged, saying their continued participation only legitimises such polls and creates an "illusion" that they are free and fair. In a post on X, Dipke said opposition parties could not simultaneously claim that elections were being rigged and continue to contest them. "Yes, elections are being rigged. But when you continue to participate in rigged elections, you legitimise these elections and help maintain the illusion that they are free and fair," he said. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder questioned whether opposition parties continued to participate because they feared that staying away from elections would lead to their political extinction. "Maybe you keep contesting because you fear that if you don't, you will stop existing. But what kind of existence are you trying to protect when votes are being stolen, your MLAs and MPs are be

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, saying that Jantar Mantar 2.0 will definitely happen if Kumar does not resign

Poll panel says internal notes and differing views are part of routine deliberations, while final decisions, including electoral roll revision measures, were unanimous

Opposition parties slammed CEC Gyanesh Kumar after an investigation by The Indian Express claimed there is a major rift within the poll panel over decisions related to SIR and electoral rolls