Page 55 - Election Commission Of India

Former Prez Kovind-led committee to explore 'one-nation, one-election'

The government has constituted a committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of "one nation, one election", sources said on Friday. The move comes a day after the government called a special session of Parliament between September 18 and 22, the agenda for which is under wraps. Over the years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed strongly for the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, and the decision to task Kovind to look into it underscores the government's seriousness as a host of elections approach. Assembly polls are due in five states in November-December and they will be followed by the Lok Sabha elections in May-June next year. However, the recent moves by the government have thrown open the possibility of advancing the general elections and some state polls, which are scheduled after and with the Lok Sabha contest.

Political parties urge EC not to hold polls on weekend in Mizoram

Ahead of the 2018 polls, political parties, NGOs and church organisations had requested the EC not to conduct elections on Sunday

ECI team to visit Mizoram to review assembly poll preparedness

A 20-member team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) will arrive in Aizawl on Tuesday on a two-day visit to review preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections in the state, officials said. The delegation will be headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. During its visit, the ECI team will meet the chief secretary, director general of police (DGP) and representatives of political parties. They will also interact with the state's icons, persons with disabilities (PwD) voters and youngsters, before holding a press conference on Thursday. Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Mizoram and Rajasthan are likely to be held in October and November. The commission had last week visited Chhattisgarh to review the poll preparedness in the central Indian state. The term of the legislative assembly of Mizoram ends on December 17 this year. In the 40-member Mizoram Assembly, the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) has 27 members, main opposition Zoram Peopl

Chattisgarh Assembly polls: ECI launches app for voters to check details

Ahead of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar announced the launch of four apps to help voters during the election process

Chhattisgarh Assembly polls: Senior citizens, disabled can vote from home

Voters above the age of 80 and persons with disabilities (more than 40%) will have the facility to cast their votes from home; such voters will be provided with a pick-up and drop-off facility

Sachin Tendulkar is EC's national icon; to encourage voter participation

As the Election Commission battles urban and youth apathy towards voting, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was on Wednesday appointed as a "national icon" of the poll panel to encourage greater voter participation in elections. Tendulkar was made the national icon as the EC gears up to hold assembly polls in five states sometime in October-November and Lok Sabha elections in 2024. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Tendulkar and the poll panel. As part of the three-year agreement, the cricketer will spread voter awareness. Addressing the gathering, Tendulkar said India is the biggest democracy in the world and it is our prime responsibility to exercise our voting rights. He reminded the gathering that he had said that in his second innings, he will continue to bat for India. Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey said the "pitch" on which EC plays to encourage voters to come out and exercise their franchise is "tough". But he expressed confidence that Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar to bat for greater voter turnout as 'National Icon' for EC

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed with Sachin Tendulkar for a period of three years tomorrow, ECI said in a statement

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