Page 50 - Election Commission Of India

EC must have power to derecognise political parties for violations, SC told

The Election Commission (EC) must have the power to deregister a political party in case of a violation of the mandatory conditions for registration and for breach of laws, the Supreme Court has been told by a petitioner. Fresh written submissions, seeking more punitive powers to the poll panel, have been filed by petitioner and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay ahead of a crucial hearing on his plea on Tuesday. A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, is hearing pleas, including the one filed by Upadhyay, alleging that the pre-election promise of freebies by political parties is a corrupt practice and amounts to a "bribe" under the Representation of the People Act. The pleas have also said the EC should be empowered to effectively deal with this practice. The written submissions, filed through senior advocate Vijay Hansaria and advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, said, "The Election Commission of India shall be entitled to deregister a political party on failure to satisfy t

Cong requests EC to restrict BRS from stating Rythu Bandhu sum in rallies

The Congress on Sunday requested the Chief Election Commissioner to impose restrictions on BRS, not to mention the disbursement of Rythu Bandhu amount in their poll campaign. The EC on November 24 gave a green signal to the state government to disburse the amount under Rythu Bandhu scheme, an investment support to farmers, before November 28. In a letter addressed to CEC Rajiv Kumar, Congress alleged that BRS leaders are making the EC's nod as a "tool to influence" voters as if they are giving it out of their own pockets. BRS leaders are blaming Congress for claiming that it obstructed the disbursement, which is not correct. After the EC gave clearance, a press release from the state government said that as there are bank holidays on November 25, 26 and 27 and also the Election Commission directing that the distribution of money under Rythu Bandhu is not allowed on November 29 and 30, the funds would be deposited in the farmers' bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer ...

Election Commission issues notice to Rahul Gandhi for 'panauti' jibe at PM

Rahul Gandhi, at a poll rally in Rajasthan's Jalore, called PM Modi a 'panauti' and said his entry made India lose the 2023 World Cup final match against Australia

EC rubbishes report of its nod for MP Chief Secretary's term extension

The Election Commission on Thursday made it clear that reports about it giving an approval to extend Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains' term by a month were false. Bains' term as the state chief secretary is ending on November 30. As the model code of conduct for the state assembly elections, held in a single phase on November 17, is still in force, any decision regarding Bains' term extension will have to be approved by the Election Commission. Taking to X, the office of the Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan said, "A fake news is being shared on social media that Election Commission has given approval to the extension of tenure of Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, who is about to superannuate. It is clarified that no such approval has been given by the Commission." When asked about it, CEO Ranjan told PTI, "I have already stated on X that the information that the EC has extended Bains' tenure as fake news." Bains, a trusted hand of Chief ..

EC's notice to Rajasthan Cong over political ads 'camouflaged' as news

The Election Commission on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to the president of Rajasthan Congress for allegedly camouflaging political advertisements in newspapers as news reports. It asked state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra to respond to the notice by 3 pm on Thursday. "...in the interim, refrain from utilising this format, content, language and placement of advertisement, which as per your own party's complaint in March, violates the spirit of the Representation of the People Act and the model code of conduct...," the notice read. The BJP had moved the EC against the Congress advertisements ahead of the November 25 assembly polls.

Sharad Pawar faction delaying hearing, Ajit Pawar's counsel on NCP's name

The last hearing was conducted a week ago by the ECI which adjourned it after listening to both sides

Seizures in five election states up 636% in 5 yrs; Telangana tops the list

The EC also released data on seizures that enforcement agencies made in the six assembly elections held since November 2022 but preceding the current round of polls

ECI seized Rs 1,760 cr worth of items since announcement of state elections

Detailing the seizures, the Commission said that EC action included the seizure of cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals, whose market value stood in crores, and freebies, among other items

ECI orders re-polling at a booth in MP's Ater Assembly seat on Tuesday

The Election Commission of India has ordered re-polling on November 21 at a booth in Ater assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district, according to an official release. Repolling has been ordered because of breach of secrecy as some people shot videos of voting on November 17 at the booth concerned in Kishupura, a district official said. Four members of the polling team have been suspended for the breach of secrecy, district collector and returning officer Sanjeev Shrivastava said. Voting will be held on Tuesday at booth number 3 under polling centre number 71 at Kishupura between 7 am and 6 pm, the release said, adding that indelible ink will be applied on the middle finger of voters. The order of repolling has been issued to the district returning officer, it said. Shrivastava said voters will not be allowed to enter the booth with mobile phones during repolling and all other rules regarding the model code of conduct will be followed. The repolling process will be

EC compiling details of electoral bonds shared by parties, to submit to SC

The Election Commission is in the process of compiling details of electoral bonds shared by various political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, before submitting them to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover, a poll panel functionary said on Thursday. On November 3, the EC had asked "all such parties" that have ever got any donation through electoral bonds to furnish by November 15 the details of such contributions received by them since the inception of the scheme. It had also sent a reminder to the parties on the issue. The EC's move came after the Supreme Court directed the poll panel on November 2 to produce before it in a sealed cover the "up to date" data of funds received by political parties through electoral bonds till September 30, 2023. "The details are being compiled. Several parties have shared details," the EC functionary said. Major political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, have submitted the details to the EC. In a letter to heads of all poli

Cong seeks EC action against PM, accuses him of 'hate speech' in Rajasthan

The Congress on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of delivering hate speech in poll-bound Rajasthan and urged the Election Commission to take action against him for asking voters to press the "lotus" button as if they're awarding the "death sentence" to the Congress. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh cited the prime minister's speech made in Barmer on Wednesday and said the people of the state will surely respond to such "arrogance" of the prime minister. "Jab nash manuj pe chhata hai, pahle vivek marr jata hai (sanity deserts man before destruction)," Modi said in a post in Hindi on X. "Prime Minister Modi's hatred towards Congress leaders can be easily gauged from his statement. How can a person holding a responsible position like the prime minister talk about hanging people through voting? The prime minister is strangling democracy," Ramesh alleged. "This is a clear example of hate speech. If the Election Commission is serious about fair and free elections then they shou

EC sticks to Dec 3 as counting date, despite appeals for change in Mizoram

The Election Commission has decided to go ahead with the scheduled date for counting of votes for the Mizoram assembly polls on December 3, despite repeated appeals by various quarters to change it, a top official said on Thursday. As December 3 is a Sunday, all major political parties of the Christian-majority state, civil societies organisations and others had urged the poll panel to change the day as it will clash with church programmes. "I have discussed the matter with the Election Commission. Counting will be held as per the schedule announced by the commission," Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer Madhup Vyas told PTI. Vyas visited Delhi and talked to EC officials on the issue on Tuesday. Counting, unlike polling, does not involve common people and they are free to do what they like on December 3 as only the designated staff who work directly under the EC would be involved in the counting of votes, he said. "Counting has to take place for all five states at the pre-designated .

Telangana elections: 608 candidates withdraw nominations; 2,290 to contest

Several leaders from Congress and other parties withdrew their nominations on Wednesday, November 15, which was the last date for withdrawal of candidature

Sena UBT writes to ECI, takes exception to BJP's election promise in MP

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said that after Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh will arrange a trip to Ayodhya for the state's people if it retained power, the Sena has written to the Election Commission of India asking whether it has relaxed the Model Code of Conduct. The letter written by the Shiv Sena (UBT) accused the ECI of practising "double standards" in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Speaking at a news conference here, Thackeray said the 1987 bypoll in Vile Parle assembly constituency in Maharashtra was fought on the issue of Hindutva which led to the poll body revoking Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's voting rights. We feel the Model Code of Conduct has been relaxed (this time around). If that is the case, we should know about it, the former Maharashtra chief minister said. Giving the BJP a free hit and dismissing us as a hit wicket does not amount to holding free and fair elections, Thackeray ...

Priyanka Gandhi gets EC notice over 'unverified' comments against PM Modi

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for allegedly making unverified and false statements with regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Acting on a complaint made by the BJP that she had made "false" and "unverified" statements against Prime Minister Modi at an election rally in Madhya Pradesh recently, the poll panel asked her to explain her statement by 8 pm on Thursday. In its representation to the poll panel, the BJP had accused Priyanka Gandhi of making a "baseless and false" claim that the Narendra Modi government had privatised public sector undertakings (PSUs). She had purportedly alleged that Prime Minister Modi had given away PSU BHEL to his industrialist friends.

EC issues show-cause notice to AAP for disparaging remarks against PM Modi

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to the Aam Aadmi Party for alleged disparaging remarks made against the prime minister on its social media handle and asked it to respond to the charge of model code violation by November 16. The notice has been issued to the national convener of the AAP. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the national convener of the AAP, which is in power in Delhi and Punjab. The BJP had on November 10 approached the Election Commission and demanded action against the AAP for posting "very unacceptable" and "unethical" video clip and remarks on a social media platform targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The AAP on Wednesday last had posted a video story on 'X' featuring industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Modi. The next day, the party posted a picture of Adani and Modi, and alleged that the prime minister works for the industrialist and not the people. A BJP delegation, comprising Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, .

Rajasthan polls 2023 LIVE: BJP to release Sankalp Patra for state on Nov 16

Rajasthan state Assembly elections LIVE: Catch all the latest updates of Rajasthan elections 2023 here

Telangana elections: Congress leader Jana Reddy's nomination rejected

For the Nagarjunasagar constituency, 57 nominations had been filed and the RO had rejected 13 nominations. This included the nomination of Jana Reddy as well

Telangana elections LIVE: Elect BRS for bright future of state, says KCR

KCR also slammed the Congress goverments in the past and said that Congress ruled the state for decade but did not make provisions for electricity and water for the common of people

EC removes 3 election observers for misconduct in MP, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram

The Election Commission on Friday removed three poll observers from duty for "misconduct" and violation of the code of ethics, sources said. The action was taken against two general observers deployed in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and an expenditure observer in Mizoram, they said. In place of IAS officer Laltinkhuma Franklin in Chhattisgarh's Dantewara assembly constituency, Anurag Patel, another IAS officer, has been deployed as general observer. IAS officer R Girish will replace IAS officer Udaya Narayan Das as general observer in Madhya Pradesh Seoni Malwa and Hoshangabad assembly constituencies. IRS officer Gaurav Awasthi, an expenditure observer deployed in Lunglei district in Mizoram, has been removed. Sources said they were removed for "misconduct" and violation of the observers' code of ethics. They said a "recordable caution" in their service books has also been ordered by the commission. Elections to the 40-member Mizoram assembly was held November 7. The first-