Page 11 - Election Commission

First time in 2 decades, EC holds revision of voters' list for bypolls

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Election Commission revised the voters' list of five constituencies for holding assembly bypolls there in a bid to ensure a "spotless" electoral roll. The last time a special summary revision took place for a bypoll was in 2006 in Tamil Nadu, officials pointed out. Citing provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, officials said the electoral roll is to be revised before every election and bypoll unless otherwise directed by the EC. If the electoral roll is not revised, the validity or continued operation of the said electoral roll shall not be affected, they said, quoting the law. The validity of the current electoral roll continues till the completion of the special revision. Officials underlined that it is for the commission to decide if revision of electoral rolls has to be conducted or not, depending on the requirement. Bypolls to five assembly seats in four states will be held on June 19, the poll authority announ

EC takes 21 initiatives in 100 days to streamline poll management

In a bid to enhance voter experience and streamline poll management, the Election Commission has launched 21 new initiatives over the past 100 days, officials said on Thursday. These measures, they pointed out, span procedural reforms, training programmes and stakeholder engagement. The measures have marked the first 100 days of the 26th Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, they noted. To improve voter access, the poll authority has revised the maximum number of electors per polling station from 1,500 to 1,200. Additional polling booths will be set up in densely populated areas such as gated communities and high-rise buildings. The Commission, they said, aims to ensure that no voter is required to travel more than 2 km to cast their vote. Voter information slips have been redesigned for clarity on the polling station number. As a significant boost to the convenience of voters, a mobile phone deposit facility will be set up at the entrance of every polling station. Booths se

EC investigates Bengal BJP chief's wife for holding two voter IDs

The Election Commission (EC) has started an investigation into a complaint alleging that the wife of BJP's West Bengal president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar possesses two voter identity cards, a senior official said on Friday. Initial probe found that the minister's wife, Koel Majumdar, holds two voter ID cards with different EPIC numbers one registered in Balurghat and another in Jalpaiguri. While one card was issued under her maiden name, Koel Chowdhury, the second was created after her marriage under the name Koel Majumdar. "This could have been avoided had she submitted Form 18. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to notify the EC of any changes. In this case, the commission was not informed," the official said. He further explained that a new voter card was issued in Balurghat after she submitted Form 6. "Because the EPIC numbers and surnames were different, the error was not immediately detected. We are now verifying the photographs and other personal details

'Not sure if India bloc is still intact': Chidambaram hopes for revival

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday voiced concerns about the INDIA bloc, saying he was not sure if the opposition alliance was still intact. Speaking at the launch of Salman Khurshid and Mritunjay Singh Yadav's book "Contesting Democratic Deficit", Chidambaram also said he felt that it showed at the seams that the alliance was frayed. "The future (of INDIA bloc) is not so bright, as Mritunjay Singh Yadav said. He seems to feel that the alliance is still intact, but I am not sure. It is only Salman (Khurshid) who can answer because he was part of the negotiating team for the INDIA bloc. If the alliance is totally intact, I will be very happy. But it shows at the seams that it is frayed," Chidambaram, a Rajya Sabha MP, said. He also hoped that the alliance can "still be put together, there's still time". The former Union finance minister warned that the INDIA bloc was fighting against a "formidable machinery", which must be fought on all fronts. "In my experience and m

EC interacts with BSP chief Mayawati for better understanding of issues

The Election Commission on Tuesday held an interaction with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati here as part of an initiative to push for greater and regular engagement with different stakeholders, including political parties. BSP's national general secretary Satish Chandra Misra and party treasurer Shridhar were also present. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi spoke with the BSP leadership at the Nirvachan Sadan. The meeting is in continuation of the Election Commission's emphasis on fostering greater and regular engagement with different stakeholders. The poll authority has initiated interactions with national and state political parties to provide a long-felt need of constructive discussions which enable party chiefs to share their suggestions and concerns directly with the Commission. This initiative aligns with the Commission's broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process in accordan

EC building unified digital platform to integrate 40 mobile, web apps

The Election Commission is developing a new digital interface for voters, poll officials and political parties which will integrate over 40 of its existing mobile and web applications. ECINET will provide a singular platform for all electoral-related activities, the poll panel said on Sunday. The new platform will reduce the burden of users from downloading and navigating multiple Apps and remembering different logins. The platform was proposed by the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a recent conference of chief electoral officers. ECINET will also enable users to access relevant electoral data on their desktops or smartphones. To ensure that data is as accurate as possible, the data on ECINET will be entered solely by the authorised EC official. Entry by the official concerned would ensure that the data made available to the stakeholders is as accurate as possible. However, in case of any conflict, the primary data as duly filled in statutory forms will prevail, t

EC to seek death details digitally for more accurate electoral rolls

In a bid to update voters' list at a faster pace and make it free of errors, the Election Commission will now obtain death registration data electronically from the Registrar General of India. The EC said on Thursday this will ensure that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) receive timely information about registered deaths and allow booth level officers (BLOs) to reverify the information through field visits, without waiting for a formal request by the kin of the deceased. The poll body has the authority under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to seek such details. To make voter information slips (VIS) more voter friendly, the EC has also decided to modify its design. The serial number and part number of the voter will now be displayed more prominently, with increased font size, making it easier for voters to identify their polling station and for polling officials to locate their names in the electoral roll ...

Cong did not flag abnormal voting in Maha polls: EC on Rahul's allegations

Election Commission sources on Tuesday rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegations of abnormal voter turnout in the last two hours of the assembly polls in Maharashtra, asserting that the Congress did not flag any such abnormality during or after voting. On Monday, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged in Boston, US, that, in simple terms, more people voted in the Maharashtra assembly election than there were adults in the state. "The Election Commission gave us a voting figure for 5:30 pm, and between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm, 65 lakh voters voted. This is physically impossible. For a voter to vote, it takes approximately three minutes and, if you do the math, it would mean that there were lines of voters till 2 am but this did not happen," he had said. Rejecting the claims, the sources underlined that 6,40,87,588 (6.40 crore) electors who reached the polling stations from 7 am to 6 pm voted in the Maharashtra polls. About 58 lakh votes were polled per hour on an average, they

Election rules row: SC gives EC 3 weeks to reply to Jairam Ramesh plea

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted three more weeks to the Election Commission to respond to the pleas of Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and others against the recent amendments to the 1961 election rules. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had issued a notice to the Centre and the poll panel on January 15 on Ramesh's plea and sought a response. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the poll panel, sought three more weeks to file the reply. The bench allowed Singh's prayer and set the July 21 week for hearing. Aside from Ramesh, two similar PILs filed by Shyam Lal Pal and activist Anjali Bhardwaj are pending. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi represented Ramesh. The petitioners have said the amendments to the 1961 Conduct of Election Rules were made "very cleverly" and barred any access to CCTV footage claiming it would reveal the identity of the voter. Singhvi previously said voting choices were never rev

SC to hear pleas on CEC, ECs' appointment under 2023 law on May 14

The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed May 14 for hearing a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners (EC) under the 2023 law. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan fixed the date after advocate Prashant Bhushan urged the bench to accord urgent hearing in the matter. Bhushan, appearing for a petitioner NGO challenging the appointment process, said the issue was covered by the Constitution bench verdict of 2023. Justice Kant told Bhushan that the court will take up the matter on May 14 by cancelling a special bench matter on the said date. Bhushan said though the matter is listed in the business of the day of the bench, they are urging the court to take it on top of the board. Justice Kant said the bench will be taking several part-heard matters involving land acquisition on Wednesday. On March 19, the top court had fixed April 16 for hearing a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of

Election Commission 'dysfunctional', 'failed institution', says Kapil Sibal

Terming the Election Commission "dysfunctional" and a "failed" institution, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has claimed that a large section of the people do not have faith in the poll body as it has not discharged its functions in accordance with its constitutional responsibilities. In an interview with PTI, Sibal said the quicker the issue of lack of faith in the Election Commission is dealt with, the greater is the chance of saving democracy. "The Election Commission is a dysfunctional body. The Election Commission has not discharged its functions in accordance with its responsibilities which are expected of it under the Constitution," he said when asked about the Congress' and TMC's allegations about voters list irregularities. The Election Commission as it stands today is a "failed institution" and there is no confidence in the Election Commission among a large section of the people of this country, the Independent Rajya Sabha MP said. "Therefore, the quicker we deal with this issu

ECI holds all-party meetings to resolve booth-level polling issues

ECI said that this grassroots-level engagement has been welcomed by political parties, with their active and enthusiastic participation in meetings

Voter list updates to be strengthened with birth, death records: EC

Amid a debate on the purity of electoral rolls, the Election Commission said on Thursday that the regular updating process of the voter list will be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities. Technical consultations between the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and experts of the EC will begin soon on voter list-Aadhaar linkage, it said, adding that though an elector can only vote in the assigned polling booth and nowhere else, the poll body has resolved to remove duplicates countrywide and end a decades-long issue within three months. "Regular updation of the voter list shall be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities," the EC said in a statement. In the EC's interactions with political parties, it was clarified that any inclusion or deletion in the draft elector list is governed by the process of appeals under relevant legal provisions for filing claims and objections available t

EC, UIDAI experts to soon begin consultations on Aadhaar-voter card seeding

While voting rights can only be granted to a citizen of India, according to Article 326 of the Constitution, Aadhaar only establishes a person's identity

Willing to talk about putting online booth-wise voter data: EC tells SC

The PILs sought a direction to the poll panel to upload polling station-wise voter turnout data on its website within 48 hours of conclusion of polling in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections

Open to talk about putting online polling booth-wise voter data: EC to SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday noted the Election Commission of India's (ECI) submission that it was willing to deliberate over the demand for uploading polling booth-wise voter turnout data on its website and asked the petitioners to make representations before the poll panel in 10 days. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan was hearing two PILs filed by TMC MP Mahua Moitra and NGO Association for Democratic Reforms in 2019, respectively. The PILs sought a direction to the poll panel to upload polling station-wise voter turnout data on its website within 48 hours of conclusion of polling in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the poll panel, said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar wanted to meet and discuss the grievance. "Here is a new chief election commissioner now. The petitioners can meet him and it may be addressed, he said. The CJI then said, "In the meanwhile, the .

EC to introduce new option in its software to detect 'ghost' voters

Amid the Trinamool Congress raising the issue of 'fake voters', the Election Commission has decided to introduce a new option in its software for the detection of 'ghost' electors, an official said. The new option would help the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) find out if multiple names are attached to a particular EPIC number, he said. "The chief electoral officers in all states have been informed about this decision," he said. On Monday, a letter was sent to the chief electoral officers of the states informing them about a new module for correcting 'duplicate EPIC numbers', the official said. West Bengal's Acting Chief Electoral Officer Dibyendu Das had on Monday held a virtual meeting with senior officials in the districts and briefed them about the decision, he said. Corrections on the voter list of West Bengal have been ordered to be completed by March 21, he added.

TMC, BJP, BJD delegations meet EC over 'irregularities' in electoral rolls

Amid allegations of fudging of electoral rolls, the Election Commission on Tuesday invited political parties for an interaction to strengthen the electoral process

Matter related to duplicate voter card numbers a 'legacy issue': EC sources

The poll body had recently clarified that irrespective of the EPIC number, an elector can cast a vote only at their designated polling station

EC to use digital platforms to enhance capacity building of stakeholders

The Election Commission on Wednesday said it will use digital mediums, including audio books, to enhance capacity building of its functionaries and various stakeholders at all levels. At the end of a two-day conference of its poll officials from all states here, the EC said the outcome of the brainstorming will take the shape of key deliverables such as animated videos, audio book, e-book and an integrated dashboard for each of the identified 28 stakeholders involved in the poll process right from enrollment of voters to actual voting. Adopting a modern approach to capacity building, a capsule of animated videos will be produced for each stakeholder, comprehensively covering all aspects of elections related to them. These animated videos will be a handy way for each stakeholder for self-paced continuous learning, it said. It was decided that a unified IT architecture with a customised dashboard would be devised to facilitate different stakeholders. The single window platform would