Page 15 - Election Commission

SC notices ECI after plea claims RP Act provision prevents choosing NOTA

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and Election Commission of India (ECI) on a plea challenging a provision of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, claiming it prevents voters from choosing the "none of the above" (NOTA) option if there was only one candidate. The plea, which came up for hearing before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, challenged Section 53 (2) of the Act. Section 53 deals with procedure in contested and uncontested elections and Section 53 (2) says if the number of contesting candidates is equal to the number of seats to be filled, the returning officer shall forthwith declare all such candidates to be duly elected to fill those seats. The apex court issued notices to the Centre and the ECI seeking their responses on the petition. Senior advocate Arvind Datar along with advocate Harsh Parashar appeared for petitioner legal think-tank Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. The plea further sought that Rule 11 read with Forms

Ahead of Assembly polls, EC orders removal of acting Jharkhand DGP

Ahead of the upcoming Jharkhand polls, the Election Commission on Saturday directed the state government to remove Acting Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta from his position with immediate effect due to a "history" of complaints against him in previous elections, sources said. The Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held in two phases -- November 13 and 20. The decision to remove Gupta was taken based on a history of complaints and action taken by the commission against him during previous elections, the sources said. The charge of the DGP will now be handed over to the senior most DGP-level officer in the cadre, they said.

Over 900 centenarians eligible to cast votes in 1st phase of J'khand polls

More than 900 centenarians, including 533 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 43 assembly constituencies going to polls in the first phase of Jharkhand elections on November 13, an official said on Friday. The Jharkhand assembly polls will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20, while the counting of votes will take place on November 23. "A total of 995 voters aged above 100 years, including 462 male voters and 533 female voters, are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of assembly elections in the state on November 13," the official said. As per the electoral rolls, Jharkhand has a total of 2.60 crore voters, of whom 1.13 lakh are senior citizens aged above 85 years. The official said that assured minimum facilities along with accessibility friendly infrastructure like ramps would be ensured at the polling stations for PWDs (persons with disabilities) and senior citizens. In Jharkhand, all polling stations are located at ground floor and ra

SC notice to Centre, EC on fresh plea against freebies during elections

The Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre and the the Election Commission on a fresh plea against the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notices to the Union of India and the poll panel on a petition filed by Bengaluru resident Shashank J Sreedhara. The petition filed by advocate Srinivasan has also sought a direction to poll panel to take effective steps to restrain political parties from making promises of freebies during the pre-election period. "The unregulated promise of freebies imposes a significant and unaccounted financial burden on the public exchequer. Further, there exists no mechanism to ensure the fulfilment of pre-poll promises on which votes were secured," the plea said. The top court tagged the matter with other pleas on similar issue. The apex court had earlier agreed to list for hearing pleas against the practice of political par

Maharashtra to vote on Nov 20, Jharkhand on Nov 13 & 20; results on Nov 23

The tenure of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly ends in November, while the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly's tenure ends on January 5, 2025

Haryana elections: Congress alleges 'EVM tampering' in 13 more seats

During vote counting, Jairam Ramesh noted that BJP-led EVMs had 99% battery levels, while those with 60-70% battery showed Congress winning

Haryana polls: Cong submits more complaints to EC about EVM discrepancies

The Congress on Friday submitted more complaints to the Election Commission alleging discrepancies in the electronic voting machines during counting of votes for the Haryana Assembly elections. The Congress candidates from 20 assembly constituencies, in their written complaints to the Election Commission (EC), have alleged that the batteries in some of the EVMs were charged at 99 per cent during counting on October 8. The complaints follow the Congress' shock defeat in the Haryana Assembly elections after the party failed to win a simple majority even after 10 years of the BJP rule in the state. The Congress has said that the assembly polls results were "unexpected" and have alleged discrepancies in the EVMs in some seats. "In furtherance of the issues raised and the representation submitted to the Election Commission of India on 9th October, we have now submitted an updated memo highlighting serious and glaring irregularities in the election process in 20 assembly constituencies i

Haryana polls: Congress demands thorough probe into 'discrepancies' in EVMs

The Congress on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe into "discrepancies" found in some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes of the Haryana assembly polls and demanded that such EVMs should be sealed and secured pending the inquiry. A delegation of top Congress leaders comprising former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot and AICC leaders K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera, besides Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, met with top Election Commission officials. The delegation handed over a memorandum to the officials along with specific complaints from various constituencies in Haryana. Senior party leader Abhishek Singhvi joined the meeting online. The Congress leaders alleged that there are at least 20 such complaints, including seven in writing, from as many assembly constituencies, with many referring to EVMs functioning at 99 per cent battery capacity whereas the average EVMs were found to be operating at 60 to 70 p

Maha poll review: EC warns of action over voter inconvenience complaints

The Election Commission on Friday expressed "dissatisfaction" over inconvenience to voters at polling stations in Mumbai city during Lok Sabha polls, and top officials were told to ensure better facilities in the forthcoming assembly polls, sources said. At a review meeting with the state chief secretary and director general of police here, officials were told to ensure all assured minimum facilities at polling stations, including benches, fans, drinking water and shed. The Commission said it will act strictly on any complaints of voter inconvenience on poll day. Officials were told to ensure proper queue management at polling stations, the sources said. There have been reports of inconvenience to reporters during parliamentary elections and the EC flagged the issue during its review meeting for the upcoming assembly polls. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar also expressed "displeasure" over low seizures during LS elections and conveyed zero tolerance towards distribution of a

J&K elections: 'History in making' as people vote, says CEC Rajiv Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday described the ongoing Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir as "history in the making", saying people are standing in long queues outside polling booths at places where calls were once given to boycott the democratic exercise. Taking to reporters here as the second phase of polling was underway on 26 seats in the Union Territory, Kumar said 100 per cent CCTV coverage is available for this phase and one could see youngsters, women and senior citizens patiently standing in queues, awaiting their turn to exercise their franchise. "It is a festival of democracy. Voting is taking place in areas where it did not take place earlier.... There were calls for disruption and boycott in the past.... It is a standing ovation for democracy," the CEC said in the presence of fellow election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. Kumar said history is in the making in Jammu and Kashmir and its impact will be felt for a long time

178K PVTGs in J'khand electoral roll, focus on inclusive polls: Official

Jharkhand, which is gearing up for elections to the 81-member assembly, has 100 per cent enrolment of voters belonging to particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in the electoral roll, a top EC official. Altogether 2.59 crore electors are registered in the state where the tenure of the assembly is due to expire on January 5, 2025. "There is 100 per cent enrolment of 1.78 lakh voters belonging to eight PVTGs in the electoral roll. With a focus on inclusive and participative elections, all officials were directed to enhance participation of PVTGs and tribal groups in the elections," Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said. The second Special Summary Revision (SSR) in the state, with respect to July 1, 2024 as the qualifying date, has been completed and the electoral roll was published on August 27, he said, adding that copies of the same were provided to political parties. As of September 20, a total of 2.59 crore electors are registered in the state with about 1.28

ECI delegation meets govt officials to review poll preparedness in J'khand

The state is likely to witness elections to the 81-member Jharkhand legislative assembly on or before December 2024 as the tenure of the current government is set to end in January 2025

Jammu-Kashmir polls: PM Modi to address rallies in Srinagar & Katra today

Jammu-Kashmir Assembly elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies are critical for the BJP to strengthen its foothold in the region and engage voters ahead of the decisive polls

Haryana, J-K elections highlights: Kharge, Sonia among 40 star campaigners for Congress in Haryana

J-K, Haryana Assembly polls updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the Assembly polls here

24 polling stations set for Kashmiri migrants in Jammu, Udhampur, and Delhi

The Election Commission (EC) has set up 24 special polling stations in Jammu, Udhampur and New Delhi to facilitate voting by Kashmiri migrants in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, a senior official said. People who were displaced from the Kashmir Valley and are residing in Jammu and Udhampur will not have to fill Form-M, as was done in the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jammu and Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole said in a statement issued on Friday. "Kashmiri migrant voters residing in various relief camps in Jammu, Udhampur, and Delhi, who have opted to cast their votes in person through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the election, can do so at 24 polling stations -- 19 in Jammu, 1 in Udhampur and 4 in Delhi," he said. "Continuing with the historic decision taken by the ECI during the Lok Sabha elections, the earlier requirement for migrant electors in Jammu and Udhampur to fill out Form-M has been removed," he said. Electors residing in zones

Election Commission issues notification for first phase of polls in J&K

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued notification for the first phase of the three-phased assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in which 24 segments will go to polls on September 18. With the issuance of the notification, the nomination process for the candidates has started. The last date for making nominations for the first phase is August 27, while the scrutiny of the nominations will take place on August 28. The last date for the withdrawal of candidature is August 30 and the date of poll, if necessitated, is September 18. In the first phase, 16 assembly segments in the valley that are in south Kashmir and eight in Jammu region will go to polls. The seats are Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, D H Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, and Pahalgam in the Kashmir valley. Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban, and Banihal will go to polls in Jammu re

J&K set for 3-phase polls, Haryana votes on Oct 1; counting on Oct 4

Polling in J&K for its 90 seats will take place across three phases-on September 18, 25, and October 1-while Haryana's 90 seats will poll on October 1

When will bypolls be held in landslide-hit Wayanad? Election body answers

Wayanad bypolls: Major landslides struck the hilly area of Wayanad on July 29, destroying some hundreds of homes and cutting off at least four villages from the rest of the region

Haryana Assembly elections 2024: Voting on Oct 1, counting Oct 4

The Election Commission of India announced key dates for state Assembly polls in Haryana. Check details here

J-K Assembly elections 2024: Voting from Sept 18-Oct 1; check details here

Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: Counting of votes will be on October 4, says Election Commission of India