Page 7 - Chief Election Commissioner

Number of voters in Sikkim rises 1% to 462K; 3,856 PWDs in electoral rolls

Sikkim recorded a nearly 1 per cent increase in its total voters this year, according to the latest electoral rolls. According to the Final Electoral Roll dated January 1, the total number of voters in Sikkim rose by 4,050 or 0.88 per cent to 4,62,456. Of them, 2,32,117 were men, 2,30,334 were women and five transgenders. During the revision of rolls, 13,716 names were added, and 9,666 names were deleted for various reasons, primarily deaths. Also, 3,856 persons with disabilities were marked in the electoral rolls. The total number of service voters in the state was 1,992.

EC dismisses Jairam Ramesh's concerns on VVPATs, asserts full faith in EVMs

Dismissing Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's concerns on the VVPATs, the Election Commission on Friday said that it raised "no new assertions or reasonable and legitimate doubts which require further clarifications", adding the rules governing paper slips were introduced by the grand old party-led government in 2013. In a communication to Ramesh, the poll body also expressed "full faith in the use of the EVMs in the elections" and made it clear that the latest updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) answer "adequately and comprehensively" all reasonable and legitimate aspects on the use of the EVMs in the Indian elections. "Rule 49A and 49M of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, governing VVPAT and handling of paper slips was introduced by INC (Indian National Congress) on 14th August, 2013," said the letter signed by Pramod Kumar Sharma, Principal Secretary in the Election Commission. Ramesh had written to the Election Commission on December 30 last year, requesting that a ...

Parliament passes Bill for CEC, EC appointments, Meghwal critiques old law

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed after a brief discussion a Bill which seeks to establish a mechanism to appoint the chief election commissioner and election commissioners. The Rajya Sabha has already given its nod to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023. Responding to the debate, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the 1991 Act on the service conditions of the CEC and the ECs was a half-baked attempt and the present Bill covers the areas left out by the previous legislations. The Bill was then passed by a voice vote.

Chief Election Commissioner appointment Bill: The good, the debatable

In question: Though certain aspects of proposed law have been appreciated, members of Oppn and civil society have flagged infringement of independence of top poll officers. Aditi Phadnis explains

'Govt 'mowed down democracy': Why is Opposition against Election Commissioner Appointment Bill?

The Rajya Sabha recently passed a Bill on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) appointments. The Bill was vehemently opposed by the Opposition. Watch the video to know wh

Rajasthan urban body, panchayati raj institution bypolls to be held in Jan

Rajasthan Election Commissioner Madhukar Gupta on Wednesday said the bypolls on vacant posts in the urban local bodies and the panchayati raj institutions will be held in January next year. Gupta said it is the commission's priority to hold the elections on vacant posts. He said the commission strives to make the electoral process fair, simple, easy and economical. The posts lying vacant due to various reasons in various urban bodies and the panchayati raj institutions of the state till August 31, 2023, include eight posts of members in the urban bodies, 20 of sarpanch in the panchayati raj institutions, 265 of panch, 24 of up-sarpanch, one of pradhan, he added. Gupta said the by-election for seven posts of the panchayat samiti members will also be held. According to this, the voting and counting of votes for the by-election of sarpanch and panch will be held on January 10, 2024, and the election of up-sarpanch will be held on January 11, 2024. Voting for the panchayat samiti mem

Govt likely to move amendment to bring CEC, ECs on par with SC judges

Amid protests by opposition parties and former chief election commissioners, the government has decided to retain the status of CEC and other election commissioners on par with judges of the Supreme Court. At present, the CECs and ECs enjoy the status of a Supreme Court judge. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August this year had proposed to bring the status of the CEC and other ECs on par with the Cabinet Secretary. The opposition parties and some former CECs had opposed the move, saying it will go against the independence of the institution. According to sources, the official amendment says "The CEC and other commissioners shall be paid a salary which is equal to the salary which is equal to the salary of a judge of the Supreme Court." According to another proposed amendment, a search committee headed by the Union Law Minister comprising two other .

Election Commissioners to retain status at par with SC judges; bill in RS

The new bill seeks to nullify the Supreme Court judgement, which stated that a committee comprising the PM, LoP in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India must pick the CEC and ECs

Telangana 2023 LIVE updates: As Congress secures 64 seats, BRS ousted

Telangana election results LIVE updates: BJP candidate Venkatat Ramana Reddy defeated both CM KCR and TPCC Chief Revanth Reddy

Telangana Assembly elections results 2023: Who is leading at 9:30 am?

Telangana Assembly elections results 2023: The counting in the state began at 8 am on Sunday. Here's how the trends look at 9:30 am

President Droupadi Murmu receives new voter ID card from Delhi CEO

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday received her new voter ID card from Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer P Krishnamurthy at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Krishnamurthy had on November 10, visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan to facilitate her in "changing her voter ID address" from Odisha to Delhi, officials had said. "President Droupadi Murmu received her voter ID card from Shri P Krishnamurthy, Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi, at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the president's office said in a post on X. Murmu, who hails from Odisha, was sworn in as the 15th President of India on July 25 last year.

Telangana polls: Schools, colleges in Hyderabad to be closed until Nov 30

The district collector of Hyderabad, Anudeep Durishetty announced the holiday for all educational institutions in Hyderabad

ECI seized Rs 1,760 cr worth of items since announcement of state elections

Detailing the seizures, the Commission said that EC action included the seizure of cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, whose market value stood in crores, and freebies, among other items

Telangana elections: Congress leader Jana Reddy's nomination rejected

For the Nagarjunasagar constituency, 57 nominations had been filed and the RO had rejected 13 nominations. This included the nomination of Jana Reddy as well

ECI notifies Telangana assembly polls; filing of nominations ends on Nov 10

The nominations filed by the candidates will be scrutinised on November 13, and the last date for withdrawal is November 15

Dabur appoints former CEC Sushil Chandra as new independent director

Chandra has been appointed as an independent director for a period of five years, subject to the approval of shareholders

Parties in Telangana highlight women-centric schemes to woo female voters

The Congress party is busy campaigning about its Mahalskshmi scheme, including the promises of Rs 2,500 financial assistance and free travel for women in government buses

MP elections: Case filed against minister for violation of poll code

A purported video of the minister went viral in which he is seen announcing to give Rs 25 lakh to the polling booth which gets the most votes for BJP in the upcoming elections

Telangana Assembly polls LIVE: BJP Prez JP Nadda, UP CM Yogi to campaign

Telangana Assembly polls LIVE: Catch all the latest updates of Telangana elections here

Former chief election commissioner MS Gill dies after brief illness

Former chief election commissioner Manohar Singh Gill died at a south Delhi hospital on Sunday after a brief illness, according to people close to him. He was 86. Gill will be cremated here on Monday, they said. A former bureaucrat, Gill served under Parkash Singh Badal as a young officer when the Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch was the Punjab chief minister. He served as the chief election commissioner (CEC) between December 1996 and June 2001. Gill and GVG Krishnamurty were made members of the Election Commission when TN Seshan was heading the poll panel. It was then that the poll panel became a multi-member body, a former government functionary said. He is perhaps the first former CEC to have joined politics. Gill entered the Rajya Sabha as a Congress member and was made the Union sports minister in 2008. Gill is survived by his wife and three daughters. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge condoled Gill's demise and lauded his contribution to the development of the nation. "Extr