Chief Election Commissioner

Aadhaar sharing for voters to remain voluntary; no legal changes planned

As the Election Commission works to purify electoral rolls of duplicate entries, sources in the government asserted on Tuesday that Aadhaar sharing by voters on a voluntary basis as prescribed in the law will remain unaltered. They underlined that sharing Aadhaar details with poll authorities is voluntary under the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 and it will continue to remain so. The sources also noted that there is no plan to tweak the law or related rules in this regard. They were responding to questions on whether there was a proposal to make Aadhaar sharing compulsory as also whether voters who don't share details will have to explain before poll authorities the reasons for not giving out details. They said the ground rules will remain unaltered and no provision is proposed to be added as of now. Amid a debate on the purity of electoral rolls, the Election Commission had said last month that the regular updating process of the voter list will be strengthened in close ...

Some use religion to 'push hateful politics': SY Quraishi slams BJP's Dubey

Former CEC SY Quraishi's comments came in response to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's remarks, in which he called Quraishi a 'Muslim commissioner' for criticising the controversial Waqf Act

'Election Commission in India compromised': LoP Rahul Gandhi in Boston

Rahul Gandhi is currently on a US tour where he addressed the Indian diaspora in Boston. He will also address a gathering at Brown University on Monday

BJP's Nishikant Dubey targets former CEC, calls him a 'Muslim commissioner'

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's remarks came in response to a post in which former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi called the Waqf Amendment Act an "evil plan of the government"

EVMs in country absolutely safe, not being tampered with: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

CEC stated that wherever democracy was present, electoral rolls and election processes were different, and in some countries, electronic voting systems were used

EC holds nearly 5K meets with political representatives at various levels

Seeking to resolve the issues of political parties, the Election Commission has held nearly 5,000 meetings with their representatives at different levels across the country. In a span of 25 days, a total of 4,719 meetings were held, including 40 by state chief electoral officers (CEOs), 800 by district election officers, and 3,879 by electoral registration officers. The process involved engagements with over 28,000 representatives of political parties nationwide, the Election Commission (EC) said on Tuesday. The decision to hold the meetings was taken at a recent conference of CEOs held here. The engagements were aimed to resolve any pending issues by the concerned competent authority at different levels. An action taken report has been sought from all the states for further assessment. Any issue, if unresolved within the existing legal framework, will be taken up by the poll panel.

Voter list updates to be strengthened with birth, death records: EC

Amid a debate on the purity of electoral rolls, the Election Commission said on Thursday that the regular updating process of the voter list will be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities. Technical consultations between the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and experts of the EC will begin soon on voter list-Aadhaar linkage, it said, adding that though an elector can only vote in the assigned polling booth and nowhere else, the poll body has resolved to remove duplicates countrywide and end a decades-long issue within three months. "Regular updation of the voter list shall be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities," the EC said in a statement. In the EC's interactions with political parties, it was clarified that any inclusion or deletion in the draft elector list is governed by the process of appeals under relevant legal provisions for filing claims and objections available t

SC fixes April 16 for hearing pleas against appointment of CEC, ECs

The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed April 16 for hearing a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners (EC) under the 2023 law. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh fixed the date for hearing the pleas after advocate Prashant Bhushan said the matter is listed at number 38 and is not likely to reach for hearing during the course of the day. Bhushan requested an urgent hearing of the matter, saying it goes to the root of democracy and the issue is covered by the 2023 Constitution bench verdict. Justice Kant said the court understands all these arguments but a lot of urgent matters are listed every day. "We will fix it on April 16, so that the matter is finally heard," the bench said. Bhushan, appearing for petitioner NGO Association for Democratic Reforms, said the matter involved a short legal question -- whether the 2023 Constitution bench verdict should be followed for the appointment of the CEC an

CEC Gyanesh Kumar takes bold steps to resolve long-pending election issues

For the first time in decades, ECI has officially invited suggestions from all National and State-recognized political parties within the legal framework by April 30, 2025

CEC calls for discussion on linking of EPIC and Aadhaar on March 18

Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited suggestions from all national and state political parties by April 30, to address any unresolved electoral issues

Watch: Gyanesh Kumar takes charge as India's 26th Chief Election Commissioner

Gyanesh Kumar takes over as CEC, Vivek Joshi as Election Commissioner

Kumar stated that in accordance with the Constitution, the electoral laws and rules issued therein, the Election Commission always stood with the voters

Meet Gyanesh Kumar, India's Chief Election Commissioner and his tasks ahead

Gyanesh Kumar is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from the 1988 batch of the Kerala cadre

Gyanesh Kumar appointed CEC under new law: What is the new appointment process?

SC set to hear pleas on CEC, EC appointments under 2023 law on Feb 19

The government appointed Gyanesh Kumar as CEC on Monday, making him the first under the new law, with his term lasting until Jan 26, 2029, ahead of the Lok Sabha poll schedule announcement

'Hastily' taken decision: Congress criticises Centre's CEC appointment

The announcement of Kumar's appointment came shortly after the selection panel, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, proposed his name

'Disrespectful': Rahul Gandhi slams 'midnight decision' on CEC appointment

Rahul Gandhi also slammed the Centre for removing the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel, a move that he claims violates a Supreme Court ruling

Rahul Gandhi crticises Amit Shah over new CEC's midnight appointment

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said it is "disrespectful" and "discourteous" for the prime minister and home minister to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC when the process of selection is being challenged in the Supreme Court. The government late on Monday night appointed Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), hours after the meeting of the prime minister-led selection committee in which the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha asked the government to defer the meeting in view of the Supreme Court hearing in the matter. Gandhi also presented a dissent note to the panel, of which Home Minister Amit Shah is also a member. "During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM, that stated: The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner," .

Gyanesh Kumar becomes CEC: How the appointment process has changed

Here's all you need to know about the changed process of selection of Chief Election Commissioner and issues surrounding it

Haste decision taken to avoid SC's scrutiny: Cong on CEC's appointment

Soon after the Centre notified the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the chief election commissioner on Monday, the Congress said the hastily-taken decision shows that the government is keen on circumventing the Supreme Court's scrutiny and getting the appointment done before a clear order kicks in. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said in a hasty midnight move, the government has notified the appointment of the new CEC. "This goes against the spirit of our Constitution, and what has been reiterated by the Supreme Court in many cases -- for the electoral process to have sanctity, the CEC must be an impartial stakeholder," Venugopal said in a post on X. The amended law dealing with the appointment of election commissioners has removed the chief justice of India (CJI) from the CEC selection panel and the government ought to have waited until the apex court's hearing in the matter on Wednesday (February 19) before selecting the officer, he said. "Their decision to hastily hold t