Page 20 - Election Commission Of India

Why Bihar's voter list update has sparked fears of disenfranchisement

A special revision of Bihar's electoral rolls has triggered a political storm, with concerns over voter deletion, citizenship proof, and impact on the poor and marginalised

Special Intensive Revision in Bihar 'on schedule', says CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The Special Intensive Revision is a focused voter list update exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to ensure electoral rolls are accurate ahead of upcoming elections

Meeting held under pressure: Jairam Ramesh attacks ECI over INDIA bloc meet

The Congress leader noted that the Election Commission earlier refused a meeting, however, later only allowed two leaders from a party, due to which some leaders could not even meet the officials

Vote-bandi will destroy democracy: Cong opposes EC's roll revision in Bihar

Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and raised concerns over its timing, alleging that over two crore voters of the state may be disenfranchised by this mammoth exercise being done just ahead of assembly elections. The Congress claimed that after the prime minister's 'notebandi' (demonetisation) that "destroyed" the country's economy, EC's 'Vote-bandi' in Bihar will demolish India's democracy. Leaders from 11 parties, including the Congress, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, NCP-SP and the Samajwadi Party, put forth their objections before Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other election commissioners to the special scrutiny of the voters' list. The INDIA bloc parties have been vocal in their opposition to the Special Intensive Revision exercise that has already started in Bihar and is to be carried out in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, which ar

SIR of electoral rolls only to ensure no voter left out: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The objective of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is to ensure that no eligible voter is left out, and at the same time, no ineligible voter is included in the electoral roll

Election Commission initiates proceedings to delist 345 RUPPs across India

It has come to the notice of the Commission that of the over 2,800 RUPPs currently registered with ECI, many RUPPs have failed to fulfil the essential conditions required to continue as an RUPP

Cong opposes EC's electoral roll revision, says 'willful voter exclusion'

In a statement, the Congress' empowered action group of leaders and experts (EAGLE), said this revision of electoral rolls by the EC is a "cure worse than the disease"

EC to review voters' lists in six states to weed out illegal immigrants

As part of the intensive review, poll officials will carry out house-to-house verification to ensure an error-free voters' list, starting immediately with Bihar

Voter ID cards to be delivered within 15 days under new EC regulations

The Election Commission of India said that electors will also receive notifications via SMS at each stage, keeping them informed about the status of their EPICs

Election Commission mandates 100% webcasting for Bihar assembly elections 2025 | Bihar polls

Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Election Commission has made webcasting mandatory at all polling stations with internet access.

EC to go for full webcasting of polling stations for surveillance

Seeking to ensure increased monitoring of the poll procedure on voting days, the Election Commission (EC) on Monday decided to carry out webcasting at all polling stations, up from the present 50 per cent. The webcasting data will be for internal consumption of the poll authority. Bihar assembly elections are due later this year and it will be the first state where 100 per cent webcasting will be implemented. In a communication to all state chief electoral officers, the poll panel said webcasting will be done in areas with internet connectivity. "However, in shadow areas, suitable alternate arrangements of videography, photography, etc. may be made," it said. So far, webcasting was done in 50 per cent of the polling stations and in "critical polling stations" to ensure that the polling process is not vitiated. In December last year, the government tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as we

Write to EC formally: Poll panel to Rahul seeking reply on rigging claim

A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought the Election Commission's response on his article alleging rigging in Maharashtra polls, sources in the poll authority said Sunday the constitutional body would respond only if the Leader of the Opposition writes to it directly. They also pointed out that as part of its outreach, the EC had invited all six national parties for separate interactions. While the other five met the EC brass, Congress cancelled the May 15 meeting. Gandhi had on Saturday hit back at the Election Commission after sources in the poll panel rejected allegation of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls, saying evasion would not protect its credibility but telling the truth would. In an article, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had alleged "match-fixing" in the Maharashtra polls and claimed that it would next happen in the Bihar elections and "anywhere the BJP is losing". Responding to a question on Gandhi's demand for CCTV footage of polling ..

Rahul upset over electoral losses: Maharashtra BJP chief on rigging claims

Election Commission described Rahul Gandhi's allegations relating to Maharashtra polls as an "affront to the rule of law"

EC rejects Rahul Gandhi's charge of rigging in Maharashtra elections

Sources in the Election Commission (EC) rejected claims on Saturday of rigging in last year's Maharashtra Assembly polls and said defaming the poll panel after receiving an unfavourable verdict from the voters is absolutely absurd. The EC sources were responding to an article written by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, alleging "match-fixing" in the Maharashtra polls. They said any misinformation being spread by anyone brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by political parties during elections and demotivates lakhs of poll staff who work tirelessly for the gigantic exercise. They pointed out that unsubstantiated allegations raised against the electoral rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law. Underscoring that match-fixed elections are a "poison" for any democracy, Gandhi wrote that the side that cheats may win the game, but it damages institutions and destroys public faith. In a post on X, the Congress leader outlined the

EC launches new system for faster, accurate voter turnout reporting

he Election Commission of India has introduced ECINET, a digital app that enables real-time voter turnout reporting, ensuring quick updates at the constituency level on polling days across India

First time in 2 decades, EC holds revision of voters' list for bypolls

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Election Commission revised the voters' list of five constituencies for holding assembly bypolls there in a bid to ensure a "spotless" electoral roll. The last time a special summary revision took place for a bypoll was in 2006 in Tamil Nadu, officials pointed out. Citing provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, officials said the electoral roll is to be revised before every election and bypoll unless otherwise directed by the EC. If the electoral roll is not revised, the validity or continued operation of the said electoral roll shall not be affected, they said, quoting the law. The validity of the current electoral roll continues till the completion of the special revision. Officials underlined that it is for the commission to decide if revision of electoral rolls has to be conducted or not, depending on the requirement. Bypolls to five assembly seats in four states will be held on June 19, the poll authority announ

Centre moves 41 officers in major joint secretary-level reshuffle

The Centre on Wednesday effected a major Joint Secretary-level bureaucratic reshuffle, reposting as many as 41 officers belonging to various services in different central government departments. Bhanu Prakash Yeturu, a 2003 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India, a Personnel Ministry order said. Senior IAS officers Anbalagan P and Sanjay Kumar Agarwal have been appointed as joint secretaries in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, it said. Their service-mates, Manisha Chandra and Meera Mohanty, have been named as joint secretaries in the Department of Defence Production. Senior civil servant Ishita Ganguli Tripathy has been appointed as Joint Secretary and Additional Financial Advisor, Ministry of Defence. More Ashish Madhaorao has been named as Joint Secretary, Department of Financial Services. Anshul Mishra, a 2004 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre,

ECI releases schedule for bye-polls in Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal

ECI announces bypoll schedule in Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal; mobile deposit rules and 100-meter canvassing restrictions to ensure smooth polling

EC investigates Bengal BJP chief's wife for holding two voter IDs

The Election Commission (EC) has started an investigation into a complaint alleging that the wife of BJP's West Bengal president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar possesses two voter identity cards, a senior official said on Friday. Initial probe found that the minister's wife, Koel Majumdar, holds two voter ID cards with different EPIC numbers one registered in Balurghat and another in Jalpaiguri. While one card was issued under her maiden name, Koel Chowdhury, the second was created after her marriage under the name Koel Majumdar. "This could have been avoided had she submitted Form 18. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to notify the EC of any changes. In this case, the commission was not informed," the official said. He further explained that a new voter card was issued in Balurghat after she submitted Form 6. "Because the EPIC numbers and surnames were different, the error was not immediately detected. We are now verifying the photographs and other personal details

Court grants bail to Derek O'Brien, TMC leaders in 2024 ECI protest case

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to 10 TMC leaders, including Derek O'Brien, Sagarika Ghose and Saket Gokhale, in a case registered against them for their protest in April last year in front of the Election Commission of India despite a prohibitory order being in place. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal also granted relief to TMC leaders Santanu Sen, Dola Sen, Nadimul Haque, Vivek Gupta, Arpita Ghosh, Abir Ranjan Biswas and Sudip Raha, on an application moved by their lawyer. While nine TMC leaders were physically present before the court, Vivek Gupta appeared through video conferencing. The court has granted bail to five of the leaders, who are sitting MPs, on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each. The rest were granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 along with a surety of like amount. While granting bail, the judge noted that the chargesheet was filed without the arrest of the accused persons. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on May ...