Chief Election Commissioner

CEC Gyanesh Kumar assumes chair of international poll body for 2026

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday assumed the chairship of the Council of Member States of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026 at Stockholm. 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. Reflecting upon the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said that India witnessed a breathtaking democratic spectacle where over 20,000 candidates from 743 political parties, including six national and 67 state parties, participated. Affirming the direction ahead, the chief election commissioner (CEC) pledged that India's chairmanship will be decisive, ambitious and action-oriented. As chair, Kumar will steer the council's work around India's overall theme for the Chairship "Democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world", the Election Commission said in a

CEC has blood on his hands, says TMC claiming 40 SIR-related deaths in WB

A Trinamool Congress delegation on Friday met the full bench of the Election Commission of India here and alleged that at least 40 SIR-related deaths had taken place in West Bengal, accusing the poll panel chief of having "blood on his hands". The 10-member delegation, led by TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien, met the EC officials amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The delegation consisted of Lok Sabha MPs Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Pratima Mondal, Sajda Ahmed, and Rajya Sabha MPs Dola Sen, Mamata Thakur, Saket Gokhale, and Prakash Chik Barik. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, O'Brien said the party raised five questions, but Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar did not give any answers. "We started the meeting by stating that the CEC has blood on his hands. We raised five questions. After this, Kalyan Banerjee, Mahua Moitra, and Mamata Bala Thakur spoke and shared whatever they had to in about

SIR form deadline Dec 4, not Nov 26: Kerala chief electoral officer

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar on Sunday said that the deadline for completing the distribution, collection, and digitisation of forms for the SIR of the electoral roll is December 4, as stipulated by the EC, and not November 26. At the same time, Kelkar said it is possible to complete the process a few days ahead of schedule, which would provide extra time to trace any voters who may have been left out during the Special Intensive Revision. Kelkar added that in many areas, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have already completed the distribution and collection of forms and would soon finish the digitisation process. He further said that camps have been set up in several locations where people can submit their forms directly for digitisation. "Through such a collective process, I am confident we can finish the work before the stipulated date of December 4," Kelkar told reporters at a digitisation camp here. "This will give us time to focus on any voters who may have been

Mamata writes to CEC, alleges SIR is 'unplanned, coercive and dangerous'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state is being run in an unplanned and coercive manner, putting citizens and officials at risk. She also claimed that the SIR exercise has reached an "alarming" and "dangerous" stage. Banerjee said she had time and again flagged her concerns over the ongoing SIR process, and told the CEC that she is now compelled to write because the situation has deeply deteriorated. The chief minister alleged that the voters' list revision exercise is being forced upon people "without basic preparedness or adequate planning". The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and citizens is not only unplanned and chaotic, but also dangerous. The absence of even basic preparedness, adequate planning or clear communication has crippled the process from day one, the chief minister wrote. Pointing to .

Phase-2 of SIR: Over 37 crore enumeration forms distributed so far

More than 37 crore or 72.66 per cent of enumeration forms have been distributed to electors in 12 states and Union territories so far as part of the Special Intensive Revision exercise being undertaken by the Election Commission. The ambitious voters list clean-up exercise in nine states and three UTs will cover nearly 51 crore electors. In a bulletin issued on Wednesday, the poll authority said that for more than 7.66 crore electors in West Bengal, 6.80 crore or 88.8 per cent of enumeration forms have so far been distributed. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the 12 states and UTs is being held between November and February next year. The states and UTs are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to polls in 2026. In Assam, where elections are also due in 2026, the ..

ECI has zero tolerance for violence, ready for peaceful Bihar polls: CEC

He assured the voters of Bihar that the numerous police officials, returning officers, zilla parishad officials are ready to conduct a free and fair elections

Bengal, UP, TN, Kerala among 12 states, UTs to be covered in SIR 2.0

EC to announce schedule for Assam separately

Election Commission announces phase two of SIR in 12 states: Check details

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said SIR exercise is being carried out in 12 states of India after several political parties raised concerns about the quality of electoral rolls

EC to hold presser on pan-India SIR of voters list on Monday evening

The Election Commission will hold a press conference to announce pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list on Monday evening, officials said. While complete details were still awaited, the poll authority is likely to announce the first phase of SIR in which 10 to 15 states will be covered, including those going to Assembly polls in 2026. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry are scheduled to go to polls next year.

Aadhaar not proof of birth, residence, or citizenship: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Kumar emphasised that providing an Aadhaar number is optional under both the Aadhaar Act and the Representation of the People Act, 1950

When will you provide evidence to CID: Rahul to CEC on Aland vote 'fraud'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that the EC has put a lock on "vote theft" only after he raised the matter, and asked Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar when he would provide evidence to the Karnataka CID on the "deletion" of votes in Aland. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was referring to media reports that the EC has rolled out a new 'e-sign' feature that requires Aadhar-based verification for addition or deletion of votes. "Gyanesh ji, we caught the theft and only then did you remember to put a lock - now we'll catch the thieves too. "So tell us, when are you going to give the evidence to CID?" Gandhi asked in a post on X. Gandhi had earlier claimed that several votes were sought to be cancelled in the Aland assembly constituency in Karnataka, following which the state CID registered an FIR and is now probing the "vote-theft". In a press conference earlier, he had claimed that several votes were sought to be deleted in Aland allegedly through

Explained: What is the process of voter deletion in India and how it works

Rahul Gandhi alleged that elections are being rigged through software-driven fraud. Here's a look at India's voter deletion rules and safeguards to prevent arbitrary removal of names from the rolls

Allegations 'incorrect and baseless': ECI hits back at Rahul Gandhi

The leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had accused Kumar of protecting those responsible for destroying Indian democracy

Rahul Gandhi accuses CEC of shielding those who 'destroyed democracy'

At a press conference, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged systemic voter manipulation targeting opposition supporters, Dalits, and minorities

EC to review nationwide voters list revision with state election officials

The Election Commission top brass will discuss the preparedness of pan-India rollout of special intensive revision of voters' list with its state representatives next week, officials said Saturday. The poll authority has convened a meeting of its state chief electoral officers on Wednesday, officials said. This is the third meeting of CEOs after Gyanesh Kumar took over as the chief election commissioner in February. But the September 10 meeting assumes significance as the preparedness of a pan-India special intensive revision will be discussed, officials said. The Commission has said that after Bihar, the special revision will be carried out in the entire country. There are indications that the exercise would commence later this year ahead of assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal in 2026. The primary aim of the intensive revision is to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth. The move assumes significance in the wa

Bengal CEO holds internal talks ahead of Election Commission meet in Delhi

In the run-up to a crucial meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar next week, West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal is set to hold internal discussions with officials concerned on the state's electoral preparedness on Saturday and Monday, a source in the poll panel said. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has "shown interest in replicating" Bihar's special intensive revision of electoral rolls in other states and the proactive steps are being viewed as "introductions to electoral readiness", he said. "The execution of the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar has garnered nationwide attention, with other states reportedly looking to learn from its approach. "Ahead of the Delhi meeting, the CEO's office is organising two rounds of consultations focused on the SIR and electoral preparedness. The first of these meetings will be an internal review on Saturday and then a comprehensive statewide assessment on Monday," the source told PTI. During these sessions, ...

AI, deepfakes real challenges before election commission: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said artificial intelligence and deepfakes pose a real challenge for the poll panel, which will try its best to tackle them within the framework of law. He also indicated that machine-readable electoral rolls could result in breach of voters' privacy. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said, "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfakes are indeed real challenges for us. Just yesterday, an X handle had shared an AI-generated video that was far from truth." "The Election Commission will try its best to tackle such challenges, but it can only operate within the framework of the law," the chief election commissioner said. On the opposition demand for machine-readable electoral rolls, Kumar said the Supreme Court has already given a judgment in this regard in 2019. "The Supreme Court has already said in 2019 that it can result in a breach of voters' privacy," he said. Kumar added that a few days ago, photos of several voters we

Give affidavit or apologise: CEC Gyanesh Kumar hits back at Rahul Gandhi

The remarks by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) came on a day when Gandhi-led opposition launched the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar and stepped up attack against the Special Intensive Revision

Voter list in machine-readable form can't be shared: CEC cites SC order

Citing a 2019 Supreme Court judgment, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the voter list in machine-readable format cannot be shared with political parties. He also said there was a difference between machine-readable and searchable formats. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said that the voter list available on its website can be searched using a voter card number and can also be downloaded. He said the machine-readable format is barred as it can be edited and can lead to its misuse. The Congress has been demanding the voter list in machine-readable format, saying it will help it flag flaws. The CEC said that in 2019, the top court had sided with its stand that a machine-readable format cannot be shared as it could compromise voters' privacy. Officials pointed out that the issue was already raised by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress ...

EC can't discriminate among political parties: CEC on voter fraud charge

CEC Gyanesh Kumar said only those whose names are in the voter list cast their votes to elect their candidate