chief election commissioner

Kept promise of shorter election period for polls: CEC Rajiv Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday said the poll authority has kept its promise of having shorter poll period by holding assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases as compared to the five rounds in which Lok Sabha elections were held in the Union territory. The last assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir were held in five phases when Ladakh was part of the erstwhile state. Addressing a press conference here to announce the schedule for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, Kumar said on June 3 -- a day before counting of results for Lok Sabha elections -- the Election Commission had promised that it will make election periods short. "In true spirit of keeping that promise, we present the shorter election period in the best possible and conducive environment," he said. Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases during summer period which had led to criticism from certain quarters about the long duration of the polling process.

Committed to conducting polls in J&K at the earliest: CEC Rajiv Kumar

Rajiv Kumar says elections won't be postponed on account of terror attacks

Committed to conducting elections in J&K at earliest: CEC Rajiv Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday said that the EC was committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and would not allow any internal or external forces derail the electoral process. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said all parties in Jammu and Kashmir are "batting strongly" for holding assembly elections. "We are committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and we will not let any internal or external forces derail the election," Kumar said. "All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are batting strongly for holding assembly elections as soon as possible," he added. An Election Commission delegation led by Kumar is in Jammu and Kashmir on a three-day visit to review the preparedness of the administration as well as the security agencies for the conduct of the polls. On the second day of their visit on Friday, the EC delegation that also includes Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, held discussi

ECI gives aggrieved candidates choice on how they want to check EVM

Aggrieved candidates, who have applied for Supreme Court-directed checking of EVMs for tampering post Lok Sabha and assembly results, have been given various choices by the Election Commission, including picking machines from any polling station in an assembly segment and opting for a mock poll and mock VVPAT slip count. According to standard operating procedure issued on Tuesday by the Election Commission, the candidates who came number two and three have been given a vast number of random tests to choose from. The Election Commission said that by going beyond controlled environment check and verification process of burnt memory eliminates the possibility or apprehension of any bias or hidden functionality in the firmware. The Election Commission has received eight applications from aggrieved candidates, including those from the BJP and the Congress, for verification of tampering or modification in micro-controller chips embedded in the EVMs post declaration of the Lok Sabha electi

EVMs in India are 'black box', nobody allowed to scrutinise them: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said EVMs in India are a "black box" which nobody is allowed to scrutinise, and asserted that "serious concerns" are being raised about transparency in India's electoral process. "Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability," Gandhi said and tagged a media report which claimed that a relative of Shiv Sena's candidate, who won the polls from Mumbai's north west by 48 votes, had a phone that unlocks an EVM. The former Congress president also tagged the post on X by Elon Musk in which he talked about eliminating EVMs. "We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," Musk had said in his post. The opposition parties have been raising concerns over EVMs for some time now and had demanded a 100 per cent count of the VVPAT slips which was not allowed.

Rebuffed attempts to vitiate electoral process with rumours, doubts: ECI

The Election Commission on Thursday dedicated the "violence-free" Lok Sabha polls to Mahatma Gandhi and asserted that it rebuffed attempts to vitiate the electoral process with "rumours and baseless doubts" that could have fomented unrest across the country. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu visited the Raj Ghat, the Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, after presenting the notification constituting the 18th Lok Sabha to President Droupadi Murmu. In a statement, CEC Rajiv Kumar pledged that the EC's service to the nation, now in its 76th year, will go on with "unflinching" dedication. "We rebuffed all attempts to vitiate the electoral process with rumours and baseless doubts which could have fomented unrest. The 'Will' and 'Wisdom' of the common man who has enormous faith in democratic institutions of India have prevailed. We are morally and legally obliged to always uphold the same by conducting free, fair and inclusive ...

CEC Rajiv Kumar, 2 ECs meet Prez Murmu; present details of new LS members

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar along with two election commissioners on Thursday presented details of newly elected Lok Sabha members to President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. The meeting is part of the process for the formation of the next or the 18th Lok Sabha. CEC Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, met the President at 4.30 pm, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. "A copy of the notification issued by the Election Commission of India, in terms of Section 73 of the Representation of People's Act, 1951, containing the names of the members elected to the House of the People following the General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, was submitted by them to the President," it said. The section mandates "publication of results of general elections to the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies and of names of persons nominated thereto". President Murmu congratulated th

18th Lok Sabha formation: CEC to provide list of new MPs to President

In the meantime, President Droupadi Murmu dissolved the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday, following the recommendation of the Union Cabinet

Strict instructions passed to ensure transparency in counting process: CEC

Instructions have also been passed to cover the entire process using CCTV cameras on a round-the-clock basis

Deepfakes, AI managed well during elections, says CEC Rajiv Kumar

The commission also launched a Myth Vs Reality register on its website to bust fake news on a regular basis during the elections

Decided to keep forces in some states to prevent post-poll violence: CEC

In a bid to prevent post-poll violence, the Election Commission (EC) has for the first time decided to continue with the deployment of central forces in some states even after the expiry of the Model Code of Conduct period, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Monday. He said while the EC believes that there would be no post-poll violence, to prevent any flare-up, the election body has, for the first time, decided to deploy central forces even after the provisions of the model code are lifted following Tuesday's counting of the votes cast in the Lok Sabha polls. The states where the central forces would continue to be deployed include Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur, Kumar said. "Wherever we think there is a possibility (of violence)," he told a press conference here. Sources had said on Saturday that the EC has provided central forces to various states beyond the June 4 counting day to prevent any untoward incident, based on the assessment ..

Lok Sabha elections: Count of postal ballots will commence first, says CEC

Citing the Conduct of Election Rules, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday said the count of postal ballots will start first across all counting centres and asserted that there was "no doubt about it". Responding to questions at a press conference here, he said after half-an-hour of the start of the postal ballot count, the counting of votes recorded in the electronic voting machines will commence. A delegation of the opposition parties had on Sunday met the Commission to demand that postal ballot count should start first and the results of postal ballots should be announced first. "Rules clearly state (Rule 54A) that postal ballot count will start first. On all centres in the country it will start first, no doubt about it. After half-an-hour we start the EVM count. So, there are three countings which are happening simultaneously -- it happened in the 2019 elections, it happened in all the assembly polls held thereafter. It happened yesterday also in case of Arunachal .

Will start process of holding J-K polls very soon: CEC Rajiv Kumar

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday said it will start the process of holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir very soon. Addressing a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said the EC was very enthused by the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections, which showed the eagerness of the people to participate in the democratic process. "We will very soon start the process of assembly elections in J&K. We are very enthused. It is one of the most satisfying moments," the CEC said. The voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections was 58.58 per cent, the highest in four decades. The voter turnout in Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir valley was 51.05 per cent, he said. While announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections in March, Kumar had said that holding assembly and parliamentary elections simultaneously was not practical due to logistical and security reasons. Whenever assembly elections are ...

LS polls: 'Deeply humbled' by voters who turned up at booths, says EC

The Election Commission on Saturday said it was "deeply humbled" by the voters who made it to polling stations overcoming many challenges and dilemmas they might have. The Commission's remarks came after the votes were cast for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections which were announced on March 16. The first phase was held on April 19. "Indian voters have given their most cherished right to vote for the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha. Indian democracy and Indian elections have again done the magic. The great Indian voters, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, socio-economic and educational background have done it once again," the poll watchdog said in a statement. The real winner, EC said, is the Indian voter. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and the EC family are "deeply humbled by the voters, who made it to the polling station overcoming many challenges and dilemmas they

LS polls highlights: PM Modi begins 'dhyan' at Kanyakumari Vivekananda Rock Memorial

LS polls LIVE: From Anurag Thakur's claim of BJP crossing 400 seats in the 7th phase to JP Nadda's claim of winning 30 plus seats in West Bengal, catch all the latest updates on elections here

EC orders action against Nandighosha TV for telecasting exit poll results

The 2024 Indian general election in Odisha is being held in four phases to elect 21 members of the 18th Lok Sabha

EC dedicated to incorporating principles of inclusivity in polls: CEC Kumar

The Election Commission on Wednesday said the last phases of the Lok Sabha elections have seen immense enthusiasm among voters of various sections such as persons with disabilities, senior citizens, transgenders, and members of particularly vulnerable tribal groups. Home voting facility for senior citizens above 85 years of age and persons with disabilities with 40 per cent benchmark disability was extended for the first time on pan-India basis in this parliamentary polls, the EC noted. An EC statement quoting Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, "It has been the deep founded resolve of the Commission to strive for continuous improvement in the electoral processes setting new standards globally." The EC, Kumar said, is determined to make the elections "truly reflective" of the spirit of plurality and diversity that is the pride of the country. "EC is dedicated to incorporating and deeply integrating the principles and practices of inclusivity and accessibility throughout

We need to dispel doubts, suspicions around electoral processes: CEC

Kumar commited to addressing concerns about the integrity of the electoral process

LS polls highlights: Biggest allegation I have faced is owning 250 pairs of clothes, says PM Modi

From the elections in 49 LS seats to Rahul Gandhi's warning to poll officials to abide by their oath to the constitution, catch all the latest election news here

Cong expects all poll officials to abide by their responsibilities: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday urged all officials on election duty not to forget their constitutional responsibilities in the face of pressure and warned of strict action against anyone who insults the constitutional oath once the INDIA bloc forms government. His remarks on 'X' came over Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav's post on the social media platform in which he shared a video purportedly showing a person voting for the BJP "eight times". "Seeing its defeat, the BJP wants to rob democracy by putting pressure on the government machinery to deny the mandate," Gandhi said in a post on X. The Congress expects all officials on election duty not to forget their constitutional responsibilities in the face of pressure from power, he said. "Otherwise, as soon as the government of the INDIA bloc is formed, such action will be taken that in future anyone will think 10 times before insulting the 'oath of the Constitution'." Posting the video on X from his official account, Ya