Page 5 - Election Commission Of India

Bihar Assembly election schedule to be announced today, EC presser at 4 pm

The Election Commission will announce Bihar Assembly poll dates today at 4 pm; parties want post-Chhath polls for higher voter turnout as Assembly term ends on November 22

ECI reviews preparedness for Bihar polls, to hold press conference today

All DEOs and SPs were instructed to monitor social media for fake news and to respond swiftlywith appropriate legal action, if required

Bihar BJP seeks single-phase polls, urges verification for burqa-clad women

Bihar BJP president Dilip Jaiswal on Saturday urged the Election Commission to conduct the upcoming assembly polls in one or two phases and ensure that faces of women turning up at booths in burqas were tallied with voter cards. Jaiswal, who led a BJP delegation that met the visiting EC team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, also requested adequate deployment of paramilitary forces in areas that were vulnerable to booth capture and intimidation of voters. "We have urged the EC to conduct the elections in one or two phases. The election process need not be staggered. Also, tallying of faces of voters, especially burqa-clad women, must be ensured with respective EPIC cards so that only genuine voters get to exercise their franchise," he told reporters after the meeting. "We have also requested that paramilitary forces be deployed in villages with a heavy population of weaker sections like extremely backward classes, a few days in advance and a flag march-like exerci

Political parties to hold talks with EC team in Patna on October 4

Political parties in poll-bound Bihar are scheduled to hold talks with a team of the Election Commission here on Saturday, an official said. The EC team, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is likely to kick off its two-day visit to the state on Saturday, and receive feedback from representatives of recognised national and state parties. Dates for the assembly polls are likely to be announced by the EC soon. The BJP, Congress, JD(U), RJD and CPI(ML) Liberation are prominent among the parties, which will be permitted to send "up to three representatives each" for the meeting. The poll panel had on September 30 published its final electoral roll in Bihar, containing details of 7.42 crore voters, a drop of more than 47 lakh since June, when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was launched. While the BJP-led NDA has been of the view that the exercise was needed to remove "impurities" from the voters' list, in which illegal foreign immigrants may have been included in

EC to release final voter list of Bihar today; poll schedule likely soon

The final electoral roll will be published after Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with the election schedule expected next week and polls likely post-Chhath

EC to deploy 470 observers for upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, bypolls

The Election Commission will deploy 470 officers as its observers for the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar and seven assembly bypolls to ensure a level playing field in the electoral contest. In a statement on Sunday, the poll authority said out of the 470, 320 are IAS officers, 60 are IPS and 90 are from other services. General, police and expenditure observers are deployed during elections to serve as eyes and ears of the election watchdog. A briefing of these observers is scheduled here on October 3, a day before the EC visits Bihar to review poll preparedness there. The term of the 243-member Bihar assembly ends on November 22 and polls are likely to take place in November.

350-400 CAPF companies to be deployed for Bihar Assembly elections

Around 350-400 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other state police units are expected to be deployed for providing security during the forthcoming assembly elections in Bihar, officials said on Friday. A single CAPF company has an operational strength of about 70-80 personnel. The exact dates and the number of phases for the 243-member assembly polls are expected to be announced by the Election Commission (EC) in early October. The earmarked companies have been asked to initiate de-induction from their place of deployment and move to Bihar. These companies include units from forces guarding the international borders, the officials told PTI. The units will be added or subtracted once the EC directs the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for a specific number of companies, they said. The maximum number of companies will be drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Other CAPFs like the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF

Rajya Sabha polls for 4 J-K seats vacant since 2021 on Oct 24: EC

Biennial elections to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, which have been lying vacant since 2021, will be held on October 24, the Election Commission said on Wednesday. Separately, Rajya Sabha bypoll to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of AAP member from Punjab Sanjeev Arora will also be held on October 24. He had resigned following his election to the Punjab assembly. His Rajya Sabha term was to otherwise end on April 9, 2028. The Rajya Sabha elections for the four Jammu and Kashmir seats are being held nearly a year after the assembly polls were held in the union territory. MLAs elect Rajya Sabha members of their respective states. The union territory has been unrepresented in the Upper House of Parliament since February 15, 2021, the day when Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway finished their term. Two other members, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas, had completed their term on February 10, the same year. While announcing the schedule

EC asks state poll officers to get ready for SIR rollout by Sept 30

The Election Commission has asked its state election officers to be ready for the SIR by September 30, in an indication that the poll authority could launch the voter list cleanup exercise as early as October-November. According to officials, at a conference of state chief electoral officers (CEOs) here earlier this month, the EC top brass asked them to be ready for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) rollout in the next 10 to 15 days. But for the sake of greater clarity, the deadline of September 30 was set. The CEOs have been told to keep voter lists of their states, published after the last SIR, ready. Several state CEOs have already put up the voter lists published after their last SIR on their websites. The website of the Delhi CEO has the voter list from 2008, when the last intensive revision took place in the national capital. In Uttarakhand, the last SIR took place in 2006 and the electoral roll from that year is now on the state CEO's website. The last SIR in states wil

Rahul Gandhi accuses EC of withholding data from CID in Karnataka vote row

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Election Commission of India of not providing information sought by the Karnataka CID regarding the alleged 'vote chori' in that state. Rahul, who arrived in Wayanad on Friday along with his mother Sonia Gandhi, told reporters here that Karnataka CID has sent several letters to the EC seeking information about the numbers used in the 'vote chori', but the poll panel is not providing it. Gyanesh Kumar is the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and he is not providing the information sought by the police, the Congress MP claimed. "There can be no bigger indictment of the CEC than this. The police is asking for information, and he is not providing it. This is not my statement. It is a fact. It is there in black and white," he said. Rahul further said that the Congress will show evidence of the alleged 'vote chori' "in such a manner that no one will have any doubt that PM Narendra Modi did it and won the election". "We are going to reveal

Rahul takes a dig at ECI with Karnataka data, repeats 'vote chori' charge

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday reiterated his "vote chori" allegations and took a swipe at the Election Commission, calling it an "election watchman" who "stayed awake, watched the theft, and protected the thieves". His remarks came a day after he ramped up his attack on the issue of vote theft, accusing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting those who "destroyed democracy". To buttress his allegation, he cited data from a Karnataka assembly constituency to claim that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted. The Election Commission dubbed the allegations "incorrect and baseless" and said. "No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Gandhi." In a post in Hindi on X on Friday, Gandhi said, "Wake up at 4 a.m. Eliminate two voters in 36 seconds, Then go back to sleep - this is how vote theft happens!" "Chunaav ka chawkidaar jaagta raha, chori dekhta raha, choron ko bachata raha (The electi

Rahul Gandhi sharpens attack on EC; claims baseless says poll body

Rahul Gandhi alleges the Election Commission obstructed the Karnataka CID probe into an organised attempt to delete votes using automated software and says targeted deletions hit Aland

Explained: What is the process of voter deletion in India and how it works

Rahul Gandhi alleged that elections are being rigged through software-driven fraud. Here's a look at India's voter deletion rules and safeguards to prevent arbitrary removal of names from the rolls

Who is ECI shielding?: Kharge questions after Rahul's voter deletion charge

Kharge asked who the EC has been shielding to allow for alleged vote theft, asked if the BJP is 'hollowing' out institutions meant to protect democracy

Allegations 'incorrect and baseless': ECI hits back at Rahul Gandhi

The leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had accused Kumar of protecting those responsible for destroying Indian democracy

Rahul Gandhi accuses CEC of shielding those who 'destroyed democracy'

At a press conference, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged systemic voter manipulation targeting opposition supporters, Dalits, and minorities

Bihar elections: EVMs get a makeover; coloured candidate pics, bolder font

The ECI said that the upgraded ballot papers will be deployed in the upcoming elections, beginning with Bihar, which is scheduled to take place later this year

Over half voters in most states may not have documents in SIR: EC officials

More than half the electorate in most of the states may not have to provide any document as they will be covered in the electoral roll of the last special intensive revision (SIR) held in their states, Election Commission officials said on Wednesday. They pointed out that most states had the last special intensive revision of the voters' list between 2002 and 2004. That year will be considered their cutoff date for the next SIR. The Election Commission will soon decide on the date to roll out special intensive revision pan-India, and the exercise to clean up the voter list across states may take place before the end of the year, officials had earlier said. Chief electoral officers have been told to keep the electoral rolls of their states, published after the previous SIR, ready. Some state CEOs have already put up the voter list published after their last SIR on their websites. The website of the Delhi CEO has the 2008 voter list when the last intensive revision took place in the

EC should have probed instead of using offensive words for Rahul: Ex-CEC

Coming down hard on the Election Commission for its response on "vote theft" allegations, former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi on Sunday said the poll body should have ordered a probe into Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's charges instead of "shouting" at him in a language that was "objectionable and offensive". In an interview with PTI, Quraishi said much of the terms used by Gandhi while making the allegations such as likening them to a "hydrogen bomb" were "political rhetoric" but asserted that the complaints which he was raising need to be investigated in detail. The former chief election commissioner slammed the Election Commission (EC) over the manner in which it carried out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, and said it is not only "opening a pandora's box" but the poll body has put its hand in the "hornet's nest" which will hurt it. The EC has rejected all the allegations of "vote theft" in the past. It has also all along maintaine

Kerala Election Commission to meet political parties on SIR of voter lists

Lauding 100 per cent digital literacy in the state, CEO Kelkar said that the exercise will be "easy" and will be conducted with the support of the stakeholders, including public, media, and parties