Page 40 - Election Commission Of India

NCP vs NCP: SC allows Ajit Pawar faction provisional use of 'clock' symbol

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to recognise Sharad Pawar's NCP faction and allowed them to use a new symbol for the upcoming state and general elections

BJP accuses Congress of violating MCC, files two complaints with EC

On Tuesday, the former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur led a BJP delegation and filed two complaints with the Chief Electoral Officer in Shimla

From apps to influencers, EC working to increase participation in K'taka

Encouraging the public to use various apps to putting QR codes on voter slips to locate polling booths, the Election Commission is coming out with several initiatives to increase turnout in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka leveraging technology, EC officials said on Tuesday. Voter Helpline, 'Know Your Candidate' and updating details about number of voters in queue and kind of parking facilities available at polling booths and an elaborate booth election management plan are among the other measures being taken. The EC is also collaborating with social media influencers to encourage people to cast their ballot. Celebrities like head coach of Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid, Jnanpith awardee Dr Chandrashekhara Kambar and Paralympian Girish Gowda are the State election icons. The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for its 28 constituencies. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena told PTI that out of the 58,834 polling booths,

Ahmedabad East LS seat Cong candidate Rohan Gupta withdraws from poll fray

Congress candidate from Gujarat's Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha seat Rohan Gupta has said he has withdrawn from the contest due to his father's serious medical condition. Gupta is the Congress' national spokesperson and his name was in the list of candidates declared by the party on March 12. "Due to serious medical condition, my father is admitted in hospital and I am withdrawing my candidature for Ahmedabad east parliament seat as Congress Candidate. I will extend complete support to the new candidate nominated by party," Gupta said in a post on X on Monday. He also posted an image of his handwritten letter to Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil, informing about his decision to withdraw from the poll fray. All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will witness polling in a single phase on May 7 and vote counting will be held on June 4. The Congress is yet to declare candidates for 19 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared 22 candidates in the state so far.

India's key Opposition alliance flounders as general elections near

India's finance minister last week defended the electoral bonds, saying cash received under the system was "legitimate"

India's key Opposition alliance flounders as general elections near

India's finance minister last week defended the electoral bonds, saying cash received under the system was "legitimate"

LS polls: 4,914 weapon holders in Jammu directed to deposit firearms

In view of the Lok Sabha polls being announced, the Jammu administration on Monday directed 4,914 licensed weapon holders to deposit their firearms with police to ensure peaceful conduct of elections. Polling for the Jammu Lok Sabha seat will be held on April 26. "A screening committee led by District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya has scrutinised 4,914 arms licences and instructed their holders to submit their weapons to ensure the peaceful conduct of the general elections for the Lok Sabha," an official spokesperson said. Vaishya has asked the senior superintendent of police to ensure the implementation of an order in this regard. "The arms and weapons are to be deposited within a period of seven days, and the station house officers (SHOs) concerned shall intimate the licence holders for compliance," the order stated. These licensed weapon holders fall in the catagories of persons released on bail, arms licence holders with criminal offences and arms licence holder who have bee

Markets pricing NDA win in LS polls; eyeing budget proposals now: Analysts

The NDA, experts believe, already had a big boost ahead of the 2024 national elections in Dec 2023, winning assembly elections in three key states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh)

Lok Sabha elections 2024: All you need to know about Phase 1 of elections

Lok Sabha polls: As many as 21 states and UTs will go to polls in phase one of the Lok Sabha elections. Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand are among states to have their polls in one go on April 19

Model Code of Conduct kicks in as election schedule announced: What is it?

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Here are the key things allowed, not allowed during Model Code of Conduct

Lok Sabha elections 2024: EC orders removal of home secretaries in 6 states

The Election Commission has ordered the removal of home secretaries in 6 states and Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal

PM Modi has laid strong foundation for 'Viksit Bharat': BJP's Ashok Tanwar

A strong foundation for a 'Viksit Bharat' or developed India has been laid under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader and party's Sirsa Lok Sabha candidate Ashok Tanwar said. Tanwar, who quit the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party two months ago, said it is "Modi ji's guarantee" that India will soon become the world's third largest and reach the top spot in the years to come. He said the people of the country want to give a third term to Modi as the prime minister and the people of Haryana also want to contribute by giving all the 10 seats to the BJP like they did in the 2019 parliamentary election. Tanwar had quit the Congress in 2019 and joined the AAP in 2022. In between, he had floated his own party and even joined the Trinamool Congress for a brief period. The BJP has fielded Tanwar from the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat from where he is a former MP. The seat is presently represented by BJP's Sunita Duggal. Tanwar said a strong foundation for a

EC launches special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to boost voter turnout

The Election Commission has launched a special campaign in Himachal Pradesh to maximise voter turnout in 414 polling stations which registered less than 60 per cent voting in the last Lok Sabha polls. Bypolls to six assembly seats that fell vacant after disqualification of Congress MLAs would be held simultaneously with four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh in the last phase on June 1. The main focus of the campaign -- "Mission 414" -- is increasing the vote percentage in 414 identified polling stations which registered less than 60 percent voting in the last Lok Sabha polls, Chief Electoral Officer, Himachal Pradesh, Maneesh Garg told PTI on Monday. Awareness campaigns and cultural events would be held besides making these 414 stations model polling stations. Booth youth icons from first time voters would be roped in and special invitation cards made by children would be given to prospective voters, he said. Letters had been sent to the respective Deputy Commissioners in Febru

Over 24.3 mn to vote in upcoming LS polls in Assam; polling in 3 phases

The Chief Electoral Officer in Assam said that there will be 1,409 women-managed polling stations, 262 model polling stations and 15,777 polling stations where webcasting will be held

Cabinet sends Lok Sabha election dates to President Murmu for notification

The government on Sunday is learnt to have initiated the process of notifying the dates of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections by sending the Election Commission's recommendation to President Droupadui Murmu. The first notification will be issued on March 20 for the first phase of polls on April 19 in 102 seats. The nomination process begins for a particular phase with the issuance of the notification. The elections for the 18th Lok Sabha will begin on April 19 followed by subsequent phases on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1, according to the schedule announced by the Election Commission on Saturday. According to sources, the Cabinet meeting held this morning recommended to the President to issue the notifications for the different phases. The EC sends the mandatory recommendation to the Union Law Ministry to notify the Lok Sabha election dates. Under Section 14 (2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 the EC sends its recommendation to the government w

Carpool, minimise paper use, waste disposal: EC for sustainable polls

Avoiding single-use plastics, keeping paper use to the minimum, using eco-friendly vehicles and carpooling are part of the Election Commission's directions to the poll machinery and political parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to ensure a "sustainable election". According to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is sensitive to environmentally sustainable elections. "In a step towards sustainable or eco-friendly elections, we are making efforts to minimise single-use plastic and encourage eco-friendly practices in the election process. A set of instructions has been issued to the poll machinery and political parties for waste management, minimisation of paper and reducing carbon footprint," Kumar said during a press conference on Saturday when he announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls. The commission has instructed to avoid single-use plastic completely, ensure separate collection bins and proper signage and adequate disposal ...

BJP targets Congress LS candidates in Chhattisgarh through cartoons

The ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh has come up with a set of cartoons on social media to target the opposition Congress' Lok Sabha poll candidates, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, over politics of appeasement and other issues. While the BJP said it has only portrayed some incidents which happened during the previous Congress regime through the cartoons which are not meant to hurt anyone, the grand old party accused it of releasing such illustrations out of frustration. The 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh will see polling in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7 as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India. The cartoon posters were released over the last one week. One such poster targeting former CM Baghel, who has been fielded by the Congress from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat, was posted with the comment "Rajnandgaon or Jihadgaon...selection is yours". The post shows a caricature of Baghel leading a queue, holding a green flag with "jihadi

Muslim organisations to move ECI seeking change in poll date in 2 states

A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the poll dates for the 18th Lok Sabha elections, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), on Sunday said it will move the poll panel seeking to change the polling dates in Kerala and Tamil Nadu as they fall on Friday. For Tamil Nadu, the polls will be held on April 19 and in Kerala on April 26. Both dates fall on a Friday. The IUML, a major ally of the Opposition Congress party in the UDF, said it will approach the ECI to change the dates of elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu as it causes inconvenience to voters, officials, and candidates as Friday is important day for Muslims. Talking to PTI, P M A Salam, state general secretary of IUML, said Fridays are an important day for the Muslims who gather in mosques for prayer. "The announcement of polling on Friday will cause inconvenience to voters, candidates, polling agents, and officials assigned to election duty. We will move the ECI," he said. Other Muslim organisations ar

LS polls: 49.2 mn electors, including 1.1 mn first-time voters in Gujarat

As many as 4.92 crore persons, including 11.32 lakh first-timers and 10,322 centenarians, will be eligible to exercise their franchise for the 26 seats in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha elections, a senior Election Commission official has said. Elections to all the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies and bypolls to five assembly seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7, with the nomination process beginning on April 12, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Bharathi said here on Saturday. Of the total registered voters, 2.54 crore are men and 2.39 crore are women. The state has 1,503 transgender voters, Bharathi said. The number of voters for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat has increased by 43,23,789 compared to the 2019 elections. A total 4,94,49,469 voters are registered as per the final electoral roll published on January 5, 2024, Bharathi told mediapersons. The State Election Commission is fully prepared to hold the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, and elaborate arrangements have been made in ...

EC launches 'KYC' app to know if candidates have criminal backgrounds

The Know your Candidate (KYC) app is available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, the Election Commission posted on its website while also sharing the QR code to download the app