Page 50 - Election Commission Of India

3 EC members from India reach Dhaka to observe Jan 7 Bangladesh polls

More than 100 foreign observers, including three from India, reached Dhaka on Friday to monitor Sunday's general election in Bangladesh boycotted by the main Opposition party which has called for a 48-hour nationwide general strike. Foreign Ministry officials said a three-member delegation from the Election Commission of India reached Dhaka on Friday while 122 others from different countries were set to be here ahead of the January 7 polls, which the United Nations said would watch closely. "So far 60 foreign observers or experts have arrived here and all together 127 have scheduled to come. Besides, 73 foreign journalists have received accreditations and among them, 17 have already arrived," Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen told reporters late Thursday. He said the observers will monitor the polls in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. But we have suggested to them that they choose the destinations having air connectivity (for convenience)," the foreign secretary said

EC dismisses Jairam Ramesh's concerns on VVPATs, asserts full faith in EVMs

Dismissing Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's concerns on the VVPATs, the Election Commission on Friday said that it raised "no new assertions or reasonable and legitimate doubts which require further clarifications", adding the rules governing paper slips were introduced by the grand old party-led government in 2013. In a communication to Ramesh, the poll body also expressed "full faith in the use of the EVMs in the elections" and made it clear that the latest updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) answer "adequately and comprehensively" all reasonable and legitimate aspects on the use of the EVMs in the Indian elections. "Rule 49A and 49M of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, governing VVPAT and handling of paper slips was introduced by INC (Indian National Congress) on 14th August, 2013," said the letter signed by Pramod Kumar Sharma, Principal Secretary in the Election Commission. Ramesh had written to the Election Commission on December 30 last year, requesting that a ...

EC refutes Congress' allegations on EVMs, says has full faith in their use

The Election body further stated that current EVMs in use in Indian elections are compliant with the extant legal framework created and strengthened by the successive Union Governments

Rajasthan Karanpur Assembly elections: 24.41% voter turnout till 11 am

A voter turnout of 24.41 per cent was recorded in Rajasthan's Karanpur assembly constituency in the first four hours of polling, which began at 7 am, on Friday, officials said. The voting will continue till 6 pm. Till 11 am, 24.41 per cent voters had exercised their franchise in Karanpur constituency. This shows that voters are coming to cast their votes despite severe cold and fog, said Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta. Voting for 199 out of the 200 assembly seats in the state was held on November 25. The election in Karanpur was postponed due to the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar. The Congress has fielded Koonar's son, Rupinder Singh, from the seat. He is pitted against the BJP's Surendra Pal Singh. The BJP has already inducted Surendra Pal Singh into the cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma as a minister of state (independent charge), a move criticised by the Congress. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot had called it a "clear violation of the c

EC to start reviewing LS polls preparations, will visit states from Jan 7

The Election Commission (EC) will start reviewing preparedness of states for the Lok Sabha elections with a visit to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu next week. The Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and comprising Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel will be in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu between January 7 and 10. Ahead of the visit, deputy election commissioners will brief the full commission about the preparations in the two states on January 6. The deputy election commissioners have visited almost all the states to oversee the preparation for the Lok Sabha polls. It is usual for the EC to tour states ahead of assembly or Lok Sabha elections to meet political parties, senior police and administrative officials and its ground poll machinery. It is, however, not yet certain whether the EC will visit all the states and union territories. It may skip states where assembly polls were held recently. In 2019, the Lok Sabha elections were anno

Uttarakhand HC questions state govt on delay in announcing municipal polls

The Uttarakhand High Court has sought a reply from the state government as to why the schedule of municipal polls has not yet been announced despite the tenure of municipalities having come to an end on December 2. A division bench of the high court comprising Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Vivek Bharti Sharma on Wednesday asked the urban development secretary to appear before the court to give a reply on January 9. The order came on a PIL filed by a Jaspur resident, Anees, saying that the tenure of municipalities of the state ended on December 2. However, the state government has not yet made an announcement for polls. The Supreme Court has laid down the rule that the election schedule should be declared six months before the end of the five-year tenure of municipalities. This would ensure that the new board can be formed within the stipulated time. But the government has not yet announced the election schedule.

Digvijaya questions ECI's transparency, calls for release of source code

"Why is ECI stonewalling opposition meeting with them? How do we trust ECI who refuses to meet Principal Opposition Parties?" Singh said in a post on X

President Murmu grants assent to Bill for appointment of CEC, ECs

President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to a bill that seeks to put in place a mechanism for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, according to a government notification issued Friday. The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, has provisions to set up a search committee chaired by the law minister and two other persons not below the rank of secretary, to prepare a panel of five persons for consideration of the selection committee for appointment as CEC or ECs. The bill also has provisions for a Selection Committee, chaired by the prime minister, leader of the opposition and a Union minister, to make recommendations to the President for appointment of CEC and other ECs. The President also granted assent to the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, to replace a British-era law governing the publishing industry and simplify the process of ...

ECI reviews poll preparedness in AP, stresses on error-free electoral rolls

A team of Election Commission officers on Saturday reviewed the preparedness for next year's general elections and directed officials to ensure that the electoral rolls are free of any errors and maintain transparency while conducting polls. The ECI team led by Senior Deputy Election Commissioners Dharmendra Sharma and Nitish Kumar Vyas issued these directives to officials of Nandyala, Anantapur, Sri Satyasai, NTR, Annamayya, Chittoor and Tirupati districts during a two-day review meeting that ended on Saturday. The Election Commission officers told the district officials to be ready to conduct elections without errors or any scope for any untoward incidents and stressed maintaining transparency and accountability, an official release said. They noted that maintaining error-free electoral rolls is the key to holding elections peacefully. The EC officials directed the collectors and superintendents of police to properly train the election officials.

Election Commission to release final voters' list of Bengal in January

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will release the final voters' list of West Bengal early next month, a senior official said on Saturday. Once the list is published, the poll panel will send its full bench to the state, he said, adding that communications have been sent to the chief secretary and chief electoral officer (CEO) asking them to start preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. "The final list will be published early next month followed by the visit of the full bench of ECI to the state. We have directed the chief secretary and CEO of West Bengal to start preparations for the 2024 general elections," he told PTI. A top bureaucrat said the poll panel has directed the chief secretary to prepare a list of administrative officials (IAS officers) and police officers (IPS and WBPS) detailing their current postings and the duration of their stay in the particular position. "Preparing lists of IAS and IPS officers mentioning their current postings before any election is routine

Elections to 3 Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi, 1 from Sikkim on January 19

Elections to four Rajya Sabha seats -- three from Delhi and one from Sikkim -- will be held on January 19, the Election Commission said on Friday. The six-year term of Sanjay Singh, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Narain Dass Gupta (all from the Aam Aadmi Party) ends on January 27 next year. The term of Hishey Lachungpa (Sikkim Democratic Front) ends on February 23 next year. Singh is in judicial custody after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy. He has been under suspension from the Rajya Sabha since July 24 for unruly behaviour in the House. In a statement, the EC said the election to fill up the four vacancies will be held on January 19 (Friday). The nomination process will start on January 2 with the issuance of notification and January 9 will be the last date to file papers. As per established practice, the polling will take place from 9 am to 4 pm and the counting of votes will commence from 5 pm. The EC noted t

Delhi HC asks EC to 'act' against Rahul Gandhi over 'pickpockets' remark

The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India to take a decision as expeditiously as possible, preferably within eight weeks, on a notice sent it has issued to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged "pickpocket" jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi made during a speech delivered last month. The court was hearing a public interest litigation seeking action against Gandhi as well as formulation of guidelines to prevent such "malpractice" by political leaders. A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan observed that although the alleged statements are "not in good taste", the Election Commission (EC) was examining the matter and has even issued a notice to Gandhi. "Considering that deadline for filing reply is over and no reply has been received, the court directs EC to decide the matter as expeditiously as possible preferably within 8 weeks," the bench, also comprising Justice Mini Pushkarna, ordered. The court noted that in the notice sent on ...

EC asks parties not to use derogatory words for persons with disability

The Election Commission has asked politicians not to use derogatory words for persons with disability in public speeches, saying usage of such semantics in speech by members of any political party and their candidates can be interpreted as an affront to such people. In an advisory issued to parties on Wednesday, the poll panel said the very foundation of democracy lies in representation of all communities in the electoral process. "Accessible and inclusive elections have been a non-negotiable priority for the Election Commission of India in particular to ensure equal participation of PwDs. With a renewed rigour, the Commission is consciously striving to promote the principle of accessibility and inclusivity in the elections," the advisory read.

Dhankhar mimicry row takes centrestage, President Murmu expresses dismay

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said she was dismayed at the manner in which Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was "humiliated" in Parliament complex, Elected representatives, she said, were free to express themselves but it should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. The president's remarks come a day after Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the suspension of some Members of Parliament (MPs). "I was dismayed to see the manner in which our respected Vice President was humiliated in the Parliament complex. Elected representatives must be free to express themselves, but their expression should be within the norms of dignity and courtesy. That has been the Parliamentary tradition we are proud of, and the People of India expect them to uphold it," Murmu said in a post on X. As many as 49 more opposition lawmakers were suspended from Lok Sabha on Tuesday for unruly ...

EC writes to Centre seeking to vet NCERT social science textbooks: Report

The EC has been engaging in correspondence with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) since 2016 over its plan to recommend changes to textbooks

Govt moves Bill to regulate poll body authorities' appointment conditions

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, in the Upper House

Govt likely to move amendment to bring CEC, ECs on par with SC judges

Amid protests by opposition parties and former chief election commissioners, the government has decided to retain the status of CEC and other election commissioners on par with judges of the Supreme Court. At present, the CECs and ECs enjoy the status of a Supreme Court judge. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August this year had proposed to bring the status of the CEC and other ECs on par with the Cabinet Secretary. The opposition parties and some former CECs had opposed the move, saying it will go against the independence of the institution. According to sources, the official amendment says "The CEC and other commissioners shall be paid a salary which is equal to the salary which is equal to the salary of a judge of the Supreme Court." According to another proposed amendment, a search committee headed by the Union Law Minister comprising two other .

Feeling of distrust due to EVMs: SP chief bats for Ballot papers in polls

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday batted for the use of ballot papers, and referring to EVMs without naming it said that these machines and the (poll) results have created a feeling of distrust in people's minds. Giving the example of US elections, Yadav said if India is following Americans on burgers, pizzas and jeans, then their use of ballot papers should also be copied. Referring to the ruling BJP, Yadav said that the party has power and will set the narrative, and will tweak anything anyone else says. I had said a number of times that we understand technology. We have grown up with technology. In UP, the SP government had distributed the maximum number of laptops, Yadav said while speaking to reporters at the SP office here. "The most powerful country in the world, America, where voting is done for months, and then months are spent for counting, he said. Over 140 crore people decide the country's future. Why do you want results in three hours? Why can't countin

330,000 elderly, PwDs used home voting facility in last 11 assembly polls

As many as 3.30 lakh people with disability and electors who are 80 years and above have availed the home voting facility in the last 11 assembly elections, sources said on Saturday, citing data. Persons with disability (PwD), voters above 80 years of age and those suffering from Covid can avail the home voting facility. Representatives of political parties and polling personnel visit the residence of electors who opt for home voting at a predesignated time. The home voting option is exercised using ballot paper under prescribed secrecy norms and the process is video-graphed. Over 2.6 lakh senior citizens who are 80 years and above and over 70,000 PwDs have availed the home voting facility in last 11 state assembly elections, the sources said. While the latest set of assembly polls were held in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana, elections were earlier held in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Karnataka. Home voting, the sour

Model code of conduct in five states lifted, says Election Commission

The provisions of the Model Code of Conduct which were enforced in the five states that went to assembly polls have been lifted, the Election Commission said on Monday. In a letter addressed to the Cabinet Secretary and the chief secretaries of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana, the poll panel said since the results in all the five states as well as for the Tapi assembly bypoll in Nagaland have been announced, "the Model Code of Conduct has ceased to be in operation with immediate effect". The code came into force on October 9 when the poll schedule was announced by the Election Commission. The model code is an agreement reached between the poll panel and political parties to ensure a level playing field for all candidates during elections.