Page 54 - Election Commission Of India

Telangana elections 2023: Cong to accept applications at payment of Rs 50K

Karnataka unit Congress charged Rs 2 lakh from the aspiring candidates of the general category while it charged Rs 1 lakh from SC/ST applicants in the Assembly polls held earlier in May

T Venkata Rao considering a return to BRS as ruling party offers ticket

Tellam Venkata Rao wants to contest from Bhadrachalam constituency and has claimed that BRS is offering him a ticket from the seat, while he has no clarity on this from his current party, Congress

Misuse of Election Commission and all central agencies is happening: Raut

He stated that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar has claimed that Enforcement Directorate (ED ) decided who joins which party and it also decides who becomes a minister

Election Commissioner flags threat of fake news at international conference

Election Commissioner Arun Goel participated in an international conference focused on "Preserving Information Integrity and Public Trust in Elections" where he flagged the issue of fake news. The conference held in Brasilia from August 14 to 15 was hosted by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, Brazil, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday. Goel addressed the participants on "Mapping election management bodies (EMBs) coordination and communication with technology and social media companies". He shared insights, experiences and the measures taken by the EC to preserve information integrity in the digital age for conduct of free and fair elections, including the Voluntary Code of Ethics for Social Media companies, which is operational since 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While elaborating on the challenges of fake news during elections in the fast evolving communication and technology landscape, Goel urged EMBs to come ..

Fundamental flaw

New Bill can curb election watchdog's independence

Govt lists bill in Rajya Sabha to regulate appointment of CEC, ECs

The government has listed a bill for introduction in the Rajya Sabha to regulate the appointment, conditions of service and term of office of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill also seeks to set up a procedure for transaction of business by the Election Commission. Though the contents of the Bill were not immediately available, the Supreme Court had in March delivered a landmark verdict aimed at insulating the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners from the Executive's interference. It had ruled that their appointments will be done by the President on the advise of a committee comprising the prime minister, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph, in a unanimous verdict, held that this norm will continue to ho

Election of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Kargil on Sept 10

The election to 26 seats of the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, is scheduled for September 10 and counting of votes will be held four days later, a senior official said on Saturday. While polls are held for 26 seats of the council, four members with voting rights are nominated by the administration. Deputy Commissioner Shrikant Suse said EMVs will be used for the voting, assuring people of free and fair polls to constitute the fifth Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. The official said filing of nominations will start on August 16 and will go on till August 23. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on August 24 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is August 26, he said. The National Conference and the Congress have already announced an alliance for polls. "Two notifications were issued by the election department, Ladakh, to constitute the fifth LAHDC, Kargil. With the issuance of the notification, the model code o

EC against Parl panel's advice to lower age to contest Assembly polls to 18

The EC said it had studied the issue and found that it is unrealistic to expect 18-year-olds to possess the necessary experience and maturity to be public representatives

HC asks govt, political parties to respond to plea against use of INDIA

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought a response from the Centre, Election Commission of India, and 26 political parties on a petition seeking to restrain opposition parties from using the acronym INDIA for their alliance. Opposition bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) comprising 26 parties was announced at a meeting in Bengaluru, Karnataka on July 17-18 to take on the ruling NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Amit Mahajan issued notices to the ministries of Home Affairs and Information and Broadcasting, ECI and 26 political parties on the petition, saying that the matter needs to be heard. "It has to be heard. It requires hearing. Notice issued," the bench said. It, however, refused to grant any interim relief at this stage and said that no order can be passed without hearing the respondents. "We can't pass any order like this. Let the response of the other side come. We will definitely look in

Ensure error-free electoral rolls, ECI delegation to Andhra officials

An Election Commission of India (ECI) delegation has directed all the 26 district Collectors/district election officers in Andhra Pradesh to ensure inclusive and error-free electoral rolls by the end of Special Summary Revision 2024 process. The delegation, led by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma issued these guidelines at the end of a two-day meeting here. The panel asked the officials to conduct special drives for enrollment of young voters and left out voters, a release said. They also stressed on the inclusion of all the eligible members from the marginalised sections of the society such as SCs, STs, Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), homeless people and others. Likewise, they reviewed the progress and status of SSR-2024 activities and the initiated steps. Further, they deliberated on human resources availability, training, electronic voting machines (EVMs) availability, proper statutory processes and documentation, polling station rationalisati

Lack of values among voters encourage money culture during polls: Experts

Lack of moral values among voters is the key factor which encourages money culture during elections in India, experts in diverse fields observed during a media conclave here on Saturday. They were also of the opinion that the government-appointed Election Commission of India (ECI) failed to perform its duty as a neutral body for which the menace of money culture during elections has become common. "Political analysts agree that without money, democracy cannot run and the ghost of running an election or to become a candidate is not possible without money, said Toko Tatung, secretary general of Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI), during the conclave conducted by Arunachal Electronic and Digital Media Association (AEDMA) on the topic Money culture in elections' to mark its 11th foundation day. Tatung said approximately Rs 600 billion was spent during the 2019 election by political parties. Stating that money culture in elections is a simple economics of supply and ...

Assam delimitation: EC gets divergent views on renaming constituencies

In its three-day-long public hearing on Assam's draft delimitation proposal, the Election Commission received more than 1,200 representations from various groups, including those who shared divergent views on matters such as renaming assembly constituencies. According to an official, representations came from a wide array of groups, each presenting their unique perspectives on multiple issues related to the delimitation process to redraw assembly and parliamentary constituencies. Political parties, ethnic organisations, social and cultural groups and individual citizens made more than 1,200 representations before the poll panel. "During the public hearings, various groups shared conflicting views on a particular matter. There were certain demands by the groups which were beyond the remit of the delimitation exercise. But EC was able to bring diverse groups with divergent views on one table for the delimitation exercise," an official said. Some representations were made to increase

Congress sets up 29-member election panel for poll-bound Rajasthan

The Congress on Thursday set up a 29-member Pradesh Election Committee for poll-bound Rajasthan with state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra named as its chairman. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, besides former Union minister Jitendra Singh are among its members. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for the constitution of the Pradesh Election Committee for the ensuing assembly elections in Rajasthan this year, a party statement said. Party leaders Raghuveer Meena, Raghu Sharma, Harish Choudhary, Pratap Singh Kachariyawas, Rameshwar Dudi, Mohan Prakash and Lalchand Kataria have also been named as members of the panel. The setting up of the committee comes days after Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Randhawa, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Dotasra, Pilot and several MLAs and ministers from the state attended a poll strategy meeting at the AICC headquarters here on

Full bench of EC begins 3 day public hearing on draft delimitation in Assam

The full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) reached here on Wednesday to hold a series of public hearings on draft delimitation proposals for Assembly and Parliament constituencies of Assam. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel along with senior officials of the ECI reached Guwahati this morning and started the three-day hearing at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra complex here. An official of the election department told PTI that simultaneous hearings are taking place in three different halls. Kumar, Pandey and Goel are present in one hall each to hear the public suggestions. During this public hearing, the ECI will meet and hold discussions with various stakeholders, including political parties and civil society, over the draft proposals on the delimitation exercise. On the first day, suggestions for Kamrup Metropolitan, West Karbi Anglong, Chirang, Baksa, Dima Hasao, Kamrup, Udalguri, Karbi Anglong and ..

EC to issue air time vouchers online for campaign through broadcasters

The allotment of air time to political parties for campaigning on All India Radio and Doordarshan will now be done online, the Election Commission said on Tuesday. The poll body has amended the existing scheme for the use of government-owned electronic media by political parties. This has been done by introducing a provision to issue digital air time vouchers through an Information Technology platform, the poll panel said. Now, political parties will not be required to send their representatives to the EC or offices of state chief electoral officers to physically collect air time vouchers during elections.

After Mexico, Brazil, India signs MoU on electoral cooperation with Panama

The Election Commission and the Electoral Tribunal (ET) of Panama on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding in Panama City to establish institutional framework for their ongoing cooperation in the field of election management and administration. With this, the Election Commission (EC) has expanded its electoral collaboration with more nations. Earlier, it had signed similar MoUs with Brazil, Chile and Mexico. A three-member EC delegation led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar held interactions with Presiding Magistrate, Electoral Tribunal of Panama, Alfredo Junc Wendehake, on strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange between the two election management bodies. Eduardo Valdes Escoffery, the first vice presidential magistrate, and Luis A Guerra Morales, the second vice presidential magistrate, of the ET of Panama were also present, the poll panel said. Speaking on the occasion, CEC Kumar said that the MoU reflects the EC's ongoing commitment to engage with

ECI opens web portal for political parties to file financial accounts

Political parties will have to provide written justification to the Election Commission of India if they want to continue filing hard copies of their financial reports

ECI delegation to visit Telangana for Assembly election preparedness

During their stay, the ECI delegation will first engage in crucial meetings with CEO Telangana, Special Police Nodal Officer, and CAPF Nodal Officer

Election Commission team to visit Telangana to assess poll preparedness

A team from Election Commission of India (ECI) will visit Telangana for three days from June 22 to evaluate and ensure preparedness for the Legislative Assembly election scheduled to be held later this year. State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj said this in a joint meeting convened by him on Wednesday with DGP Anjani Kumar to discuss and assess the state's poll preparedness. The meeting was aimed at appraising the district Collectors and Superintendents of Police about the upcoming general election to the Legislative Assembly in Telangana, the CEO's office said in a release. The ECI delegation, led by Dharmendra Sharma, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and Deputy Election Commissioners, along with senior officers of the poll panel, would be in Hyderabad from June 22 to 24. "Their visit is intended to evaluate and ensure the preparedness for the forthcoming election," it said. During their stay, the ECI delegation would first meet with the CEO Telangana, Special Police

Election Commission takes stock of EVMs ahead of general elections in 2024

The EC issues a calendar for such exercises and there are standing instructions that are to be followed by state chief electoral officers