Page 3 - Election Commission Of India

INDIA bloc plans 'Save Democracy' protests over 'vote chori' allegations

Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi during the bloc's coordination meeting, in New Delhi on Wednesday photo: pti

SIR draft roll exclusions bring electorate to 2015 level, shows data

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's role in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise

EC withdraws SIR declaration from Form 6: Here's what it means

The ECI has removed the SIR declaration from Form 6 in states and Union Territories where the electoral roll revision exercise has been completed; the declaration remains in use where SIR is ongoing

Can the CEC face prosecution? What the law says on accountability, immunity

SIR petition in SC raises questions over EC decision-making, criminal liability under electoral law and statutory protection for commissioners

Opposition to march to EC on October 6, demands return to ballot paper

INDIA bloc on Wednesday finalised a joint action plan over the SIR row, including holding rallies and 'save democracy marches', with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asserting that all parties agreed that elections should be held through ballot papers instead of EVMs. The opposition grouping made the assertion after a three-and-a-half hour meeting of its leaders, including Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule. At a joint briefing by INDIA bloc leaders after their meeting, Kharge said the leaders have decided on a joint action plan. Kharge said the parties have decided that involving young people and NGOs, "save democracy" marches will be taken out from October 2-8 and demonstrations will be held before the district magistrate's office. On October 6, all opposition MPs will march to the Election Commission, he said. The Leaders of ..

EC withdraws SIR declaration from Form 6 in states where exercise is over

The Election Commission has withdrawn the additional SIR-related declaration from the online voter enrolment Form 6 in states where the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has been completed, days after the full Commission decided that the requirement would apply only during the exercise. The declaration, which requires new applicants to furnish details linking themselves or their parents or grandparents to electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision, remains available on the ECINET portal in states and Union Territories where the SIR is underway. In states where SIR has concluded, the additional declaration has now been removed from the ECINET app and portal as well as the respective Chief Electoral Officer portals, leaving applicants seeking enrolment to fill only the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The move follows a September 26 meeting of the full Commission comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh ..

Best of BS Opinion: RBI's currency intervention must be limited

From RBI intervention in the rupee and questions over electoral-roll revisions to distressed assets, India's growth challenges and political grief, today's opinions examine institutional and economic

Selective reform

Election Commission has not addressed key weaknesses in SIR

SC to hear next week plea questioning ECI decisions under CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The hearing comes amid questions over the poll panel's decision-making process, after reports claimed that two Election Commissioners objected to several SIR-related orders

Form 6 row: What changed, what SC said and what remains disputed

The Form 6 row centres on changes made by the ECI to the voter enrolment process during SIR. Here is what the Supreme Court said, what ECI changed and why the new declaration is being questioned

IndusInd Bank CEO Rajiv Anand says his name 'unmapped' from voter roll

IndusInd Bank MD & CEO Rajiv Anand has said his name has been "unmapped" from the electoral roll and he has been asked to appear for a hearing to avoid deletion from the voter list. "I have been told my name is "unmapped" from the voting list. I have voted in every election ever since I have been eligible to vote. I hold a passport, PAN Card, voter ID card and Aadhar card. I am now being asked to appear for a hearing else my name will be deleted. Why should I?," Anand said in a X post on Sunday. "Indians have so many certificates to prove who they are. Aadhar card. PAN Card. Voter ID. Passport. You would think there is an identity crisis!", he said in another post. Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the Election Commission last week announced a slew of decisions for the ease of voters who have been issued notices, including doorstep collection of documents and extending deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra. The period for filing claims and objections has ...

Wangchuk backs CJP's Oct 2 protest against CEC, may not attend physically

Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday backed the Cockroach Janta Party's proposed October 2 protest seeking accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying efforts to improve accountability in the country and the electoral process deserved support. While he expressed his support for CJP's proposed agitation, Wangchuk added that he might not be physically present during the protest. His comments came amid a row over the functioning of the Election Commission following an Indian Express report's revelation that Election Commissioners S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions concerning voter registration, deletions and restoration of names and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The Election Commission on Saturday asserted that all decisions relating to SIR received the unanimous approval of all three commissioners. It also announced measures to assist voters facing notices during the revision

EC in 'damage control' mode; CEC's resignation or prosecution needed: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said the Election Commission was in "damage control" mode after differences within the poll body came out following a media "expose" and demanded that the ongoing SIR exercise that has "disenfranchised crores" is suspended immediately. The Congress also said that nothing short of CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation or prosecution will suffice. The opposition party's reaction came after the Election Commission issued a statement asserting that all Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders were issued after approval from all three Election Commissioners and the changes in Form 6, through which names are included in the voters' list, have been upheld by the Supreme Court. The poll body also claimed that the letters sent by commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to the Cabinet Secretary were not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division, but to the working of an officer on deputation to it. Reacting sharply to the EC statement, ...

Amid report of rift, EC says all SIR orders were unanimously approved

People issued notices during SIR need not appear for personal hearings, except in exceptional cases, the Election Commission said

Best of BS Opinion: Don't hang the ECI just yet, make it work efficiently

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Three NDA allies seek election panel's clarification amid SIR row

BJP allies seek clarity from the Election Commission over objections raised by two poll commissioners on voter-list revision, as a Supreme Court plea seeks action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

SC plea seeks criminal prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over SIR decisions

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking criminal prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged violations of statutory duties in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The plea filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi through advocate Chand Qureshi seeks that decisions, guidelines and software modifications allegedly undertaken by Kumar without the concurrence of the two election commissioners be declared unconstitutional and void. It also seeks a declaration that all such decisions relating to the SIR are illegal and restoration of the original Form 6. It further seeks an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged deletion of around 13 crore voters from electoral rolls during the revision exercise. The petitioner has sought criminal prosecution of Kumar, Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg and Seema Khanna, IT head of the Election Commission (EC), alleging violation of their statut

Dipke urges opposition parties to stop participating in 'rigged' elections

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday urged opposition parties to stop participating in elections if they believe the electoral process is being rigged, saying their continued participation only legitimises such polls and creates an "illusion" that they are free and fair. In a post on X, Dipke said opposition parties could not simultaneously claim that elections were being rigged and continue to contest them. "Yes, elections are being rigged. But when you continue to participate in rigged elections, you legitimise these elections and help maintain the illusion that they are free and fair," he said. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder questioned whether opposition parties continued to participate because they feared that staying away from elections would lead to their political extinction. "Maybe you keep contesting because you fear that if you don't, you will stop existing. But what kind of existence are you trying to protect when votes are being stolen, your MLAs and MPs are be

Election Commission adds 'Mark VIP' feature to BLO app amid Delhi SIR

The feature was added to the app in July, allowing Booth Level Officers to flag certain electors as VIPs during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision

Gyanesh Kumar removal row: How can Chief Election Commissioner be removed?

Opposition parties are preparing a fresh removal motion against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Here is what the Constitution and law say about the appointment and removal of the Election Commission chief