Page 23 - Election Commission Of India

Delhi Assembly elections: 33.31% voter turnout recorded till 1 pm

A turnout of 8.10 per cent was recorded in the Delhi Assembly polls till 9 am on Wednesday with President Droupadi Murmu, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Union minister S Jaishankar among the early voters. Around 1.56 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes. Polling began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm. According to Election Commission data, 8.10 per cent of voters had cast their votes till 9 am. North East district recorded the highest voter turnout of 10.7 per cent. Mustafabad was leading among constituencies with 12.43 per cent polling, the data showed. Polling is underway at 13,766 stations across all of Delhi's 70 assembly constituencies to decide the fate of 699 candidates in a contest that could reshape the political landscape of the capital. While AAP is eyeing a third consecutive term, BJP and Congress are hoping for a resurgence in Delhi. In the 2020 assembly polls, Delhi recorded a voter turnout of 62.59 per cent while only 56 per cent of voters participated

EC hits back at AAP: We are three-member body, not run by one person

Amid allegations levelled by the Aam Aadmi Party that the Election Commission is being run by CEC Rajiv Kumar, the poll panel on Tuesday hit back saying it is a three-member body which has collectively noted "repeated deliberate pressure tactics" to malign the poll authority in Delhi polls. It said an impression is being created that the EC is a single member body. In a post on X, the EC said it has decided to have constitutional restraint, absorbing such outbursts with sagacity, stoically and not to be swayed by such insinuations. Top AAP leaders, including its convenor Arvind Karjiwal, have claimed that the EC has been ignoring the BJP's alleged violations of poll code. Kejriwal had alleged that Kumar is not taking action against the BJP to bag a post-retirement assignment. Kumar demits office on February 18 on attaining the age of 65 years. Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu are the other election commissioners. "The 3-member Commission collectively noted repeated deliber

Delhi Assembly elections: EC bans exit polls before 6:30 pm on February 5

displaying any election matter, including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media would be prohibited during the 48-hour period

Kejriwal writes to EC, demands independent observers in his constituency

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has alleged attack on his party workers ahead of the Delhi assembly polls and demanded that the Election Commission appoint independent observers in his New Delhi constituency. In a letter to the Election Commission, Kejriwal has also demanded arrest of BJP workers allegedly involved in such incidents and suspension of police officers concerned. No immediate reaction was available from the BJP and the Delhi Police over Kejriwal's claims. In the letter, the former Delhi chief minister also cited some alleged incidents of attack on AAP workers in his New Delhi constituency. AAP MLA Mohinder Goyal was allegedly assaulted during a public rally in Rohini area here on Saturday. The incident took place when Goyal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from the Rithala Assembly segment, was interacting with the local residents of Pocket H in Sector 11. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday wrote a letter to the Election Commission, alleging that the BJP worker

Delhi assembly polls: 7,552 eligible electors opt for home voting facility

A total of 7,552 electors have opted for the home voting facility, available to elderly voters and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), for the upcoming Delhi Assembly election. The home voting facility is available to voters above 85 years of age and PwDs, offering them the option to cast their votes from their homes, it said. According to a statement, the Election Commission of India (ECI) deployed 206 teams of polling officers across 11 districts and 70 Assembly constituencies in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), ensuring smooth and timely execution as per ECI guidelines. As of January 31, 2025, 92 per cent of registered home voters have successfully cast their votes. This includes 5,982 senior citizens and 998 persons with disabilities. District West recorded the highest home-voting turnout at 94 per cent, the statement said. It mentioned that polling officials and security personnel visit voters' residences to collect their votes and voters are notified in advance .

Delhi polls: CEO Vaz assures voter-friendly steps for smooth Feb 5 voting

Around 1.56 crore voters are set to exercise their electoral franchise in the Delhi Assembly election on February 5 as voter-friendly measures have been put in place for the smooth polling process, Chief Electoral Officer R. Alice Vaz said. To facilitate voting, 13,766 polling stations have been set up across 2,969 polling premises. Of these, 733 polling stations are designated for persons with disabilities, Vaz said. Around 1.56 crore voters, including 83.76 lakh men, 72.36 lakh women, and 1,267 individuals from the third gender will cast their ballot on February 5. The Delhi Election Office has introduced several voter-friendly measures to ensure a smooth polling process. These include ramps, wheelchairs, medical teams, crche services, themed polling stations, a queue management mobile application and a home voting option for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, she said. Vaz emphasised that over 1 lakh polling personnel have been deployed, and all polling stations will

Party spent Rs 1737.68 cr on LS elections 2024: BJP's report to ECI reveals

The Bharatiya Janata Party spent Rs 1,737.68 crore for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, according to the expenditure report submitted by the party to the Election Commission of India. Of the total amount, Rs 884.45 crore was spent on general party propaganda, while Rs 853.23 crore was allocated for candidate-related expenses. Around Rs 611.50 crore was spent on media advertisements that included advertisements in print and electronic media, bulk SMS campaigns, and promotional content across cable, websites, and TV channels. The party also spent Rs 55.75 crore on publicity materials such as posters, banners, hoardings, and flags to bolster its election outreach. Additionally, the BJP's expenditure on public meetings, processions, and rallies including arrangements for stages, audio setups, barricades, and vehicles stood at Rs 19.84 crore. Campaign-related travel expenses formed another significant portion of the party's budget. The travel expenditure of star campaigners authorised b

Election rules change row: SC orders EC to preserve video clips of polling

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission of India to preserve video clips of the polling during the pendency of the pleas against the decision to increase the maximum number of voters per polling station from 1,200 to 1,500. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar passed the order the counsel for the Election Commission of India (ECI) sought time to respond to the PIL filed by one Indu Prakash Singh. Singh has challenged the panel's communications in August 2024 for increasing the number of voters per polling stations in each constituency. "The counsel appearing for respondent number 1 prays for further time to file affidavit. Let the affidavit be filed within three weeks from today. We deem it appropriate to direct respondent no 1 to maintain the CCTV recordings as they were doing earlier," the bench said. The top court on January 15 sought responses from the Centre and the poll panel on Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's

Kejriwal responds to EC notice on Yamuna water controversy, submits report

Accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal visited the EC office in New Delhi

Delhi HC asks ECI to prevent use of 'vilifying' material in poll campaign

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of India to ensure political parties and their candidates did not use any "vilifying" material during election campaigns. A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the direction on a PIL alleging spam calls and voice messages were made to public by unknown numbers to vote a particular political party to power to get freebies. The bench disposed of the plea taking note of the proposed action by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the petitioners' complaint. The court said the state election officer, chief election officer and the district election officer were fully empowered and duty-bound to check such messages and advertising material being circulated by political parties and their candidates having the tendency to vilify the atmosphere in elections. Advocate Sidhant Kumar, representing the ECI, said the commission took cognisance of the petitioners' complaint and directed t

Congress saw 320% surge in donations in 2024 elections, BJP witnesses 87%

The share of electoral bonds in the BJP's total contributions dropped to less than half during the same period to 43 per cent while electoral bonds comprised 73 per cent of the Congress' donations

Atishi's election agent lodges complaint against BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri

In the letter to the Returning Officer, Atishi's election agent has alleged a 'serious violation of the electoral code of conduct'

Why can't social media platforms block or label fakes, asks CEC Rajiv Kumar

He said election management bodies must devise and adopt a framework to manage these challenges

India nears 1 bn voters, with youth, women driving electoral growth: EC

The number of voters in India now stands at 99.1 crore, up from 96.88 crore when the Lok Sabha elections were held last year, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday. In a statement issued ahead of National Voters' Day, the EC said the electoral rolls bear a youthful and gender-balanced look with 21.7 crore young electors in the 18-29 age group and a six-point increase in electoral gender ratio from 948 in 2024 to 954 in 2025. National Voters' Day is celebrated on January 25 every year to mark the foundation day of the EC, which was established on this day in 1950. Addressing a press conference here on January 7 to announce the Delhi assembly poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said India would soon create a new record of one billion-plus voters. "Electoral rolls were released yesterday (January 6). We are crossing 99 crore voters... We are going to be a nation of one billion voters very soon, which will be another record in voting," he said. "After

ECI urges political parties for responsible use of AI in campaigning

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has consistently cautioned against the potential of AI and deep fakes

Rahul Gandhi attacks BJP-RSS, says 'we are fighting Indian state itself'

Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and RSS of capturing Indian institutions, suppressing minorities, and undermining democracy, calling the Congress' fight a 'battle against the Indian state itself'

Election rules row: SC seeks govt, poll panel reply on Jairam Ramesh's plea

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the poll panel on Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's plea against the recent amendments, including no public access to CCTV, to the 1961 election rules. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar took note of the submissions of senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Ramesh, and issued notices on the plea. The bench said it would hear the plea in the week commencing March 17. Singhvi said amendments to the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules were made "very cleverly" and barred any access to CCTV footage claiming it would reveal the identity of the voter. He said voting choices were never revealed and the CCTV footage couldn't reveal votes. The senior lawyer urged the bench to ask the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Centre to file their responses before the next date of hearing else they would come and say "reply is needed to be filed" on tha

Consider plea over duplicate entries in voter list: Delhi HC to EC

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to consider at an appropriate stage a plea raising concerns over alleged duplication of names in the capital's voter list and adopt such technological tools that would assist it in eliminating such duplication. As the petitioner's counsel remarked that the Delhi assembly elections would be over by the time the Commission would consider his plea, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru said, "before every election these matters come." "There is a process for revision of electoral roll. It can't be done at this stage," the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said. The petitioner remarked that even the "ex-chief minister" was aggrieved by the issue. Advocate Sidhant Kumar, appearing for the Election Commission, said the petition did not show a single instance of alleged duplication. He further stated that the Commission has already undertaken the necessary procedure for revision of electoral rol

800 more warehouses required to store EVMs for simultaneous polls: EC

The Election Commission (EC) has projected a requirement of 800 additional warehouses across the country to store EVMs and other equipment in case simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies are held. The poll body has described the construction of warehouses as a "laborious process" entailing cost. The cost of the land and construction is borne by the respective state governments. The EC had shared its views on various aspects of holding simultaneous elections with the Law Commission and the Department of Legal Affairs in the Union law ministry in March 2023. Its views on the issue now form part of the documents shared with the members of the joint committee of Parliament examining the two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous polls in the country. "In case of simultaneous elections, for safe and secure storage of EVMs/VVPATs, there will be a requirement of about 800 additional warehouses...," the EC has said. It has noted that enforcing safety and .

Delhi polls: Relief for AAP's Avadh Ojha as ECI clears vote transfer

Delhi Assembly elections: An AAP delegation met election officials to demand the transfer of Avadh Ojha's voter ID from Greater Noida to Delhi. Ojha is AAP's candidate from Patparganj constituency