Page 18 - Election Commission

Assembly elections in J&K to be held in Sept: Union minister G Kishan Reddy

A new J&K has emerged where terrorism, stone-pelting, hoisting of Pakistani flags, and an insult to the Tricolour are history, said the minister in Jammu rally

EC issues instructions on transfer of officials in J&K ahead of elections

In a fresh indication that assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir are imminent, the Election Commission on Wednesday asked the Union Territory administration to transfer out officers posted in their home districts, an exercise it holds ahead of conducting elections. The commission has been following a consistent policy that officers directly connected with the conduct of elections in a poll-bound state or Union Territory are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for a considerably long period. It has issued similar directions to the chief secretaries of Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand. It said the terms of the existing legislative assemblies of Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra were up to November 3, 2024; January 5, 2025; and November 26, 2024, respectively, and elections in these states were due in 2024. "Further, the election to the legislative assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is also due in the near future," it noted. It is us

Election Commission to conduct mock polls to check EVMs post LS polls

The EC received eight applications for verification of EVMs used in the 18th Lok Sabha elections and three for the Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

Congress candidates lead in Manglaur, Badrinath seats of Uttarakhand

Congress candidates for the Badrinath and Manglaur assembly bypolls in Uttarakhand were leading in both the seats on Saturday, officials said. The counting of votes for the by-elections in the two assembly constituencies, held on Wednesday, began at 8 am. Congress' Qazi Nizamuddin was ahead by 87,365 votes against the BJP's Kartar Singh Bhadana in the sixth round of counting in Manglaur. BSP's Ubaidur Rahman, who was behind Nizamuddin at the second spot in the initial rounds of counting, is now trailing at the third spot in the seat. The seat was with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but fell vacant after Rahman's father and sitting MLA Sarwat Karim Ansari died in October 2023. In the Badrinath assembly seat, Congress' Lakhpat Singh Butola was leading by 1,935 votes against BJP's Rajendra Bhandari in the seventh round of counting. The seat fell vacant after Bhandari resigned from the Congress and the state assembly to join the BJP just before the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.

Donald Trump no more 'broke don' as fundraising race shifts his way

Joe Biden, who had no major primary rivals nor an army of attorneys to pay, has built up a $212 million war chest, a record amount for a Democratic candidate

EC to update voters' list in poll-bound states, including Jammu and Kashmir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on Thursday that assembly elections would be held soon in Jammu and Kashmir and plans are underway to restore statehood to the UT in the near future

EC begins J&K Assembly polls prep, electoral roll expected by Aug 20

State and UT Assembly elections will be conducted in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, along with 47 by-polls

EC begins updating electoral rolls for Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, J-K

The Election Commission on Friday said it has initiated preparations for forthcoming assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand with updation of electoral rolls in these states. July 1, 2024 will be the qualifying date. For the just-held Lok Sabha polls, the voters list was updated with January 1 as the qualifying date. Qualifying date helps establish number of voters on a given date in a state or in the country. The term of the existing legislative assemblies in the three states are going to end on November 3, November 26 and January 5, 2025 respectively and elections to these legislative assemblies are required to be conducted before the completion of their terms. Besides, assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are also to be conducted for constituting a new house after delimitation of constituencies, the EC said. "Witnessing the huge participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Commission has also directed

Rahul, Aaditya should apologise for remarks over EVMs: Sanjay Nirupam

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam on Monday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray should apologise for disseminating "false" information based on a news report on the EVMs. A political slugfest erupted on Sunday over EVM tampering claims with Gandhi, Thackeray and other opposition leaders citing a media report which alleged that a relative of Shiv Sena's Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat candidate Ravindra Waikar was found using a mobile phone "connected" to an EVM during the counting of votes on June 4. The media report said a relative of Waikar, who won from seat by just 48 votes, had used a mobile phone to "unlock" an electronic voting machine (EVM) when the votes were being counted. Vandana Suryavanshi, returning officer of the constituency, however, dismissed the report in 'mid-day' newspaper as "false news" and said a defamation notice has been issued to the publication. She asserted that the EVM is a standalone system, not programmable and has

EC should release data on EVMs found faulty in LS polls: Gaurav Gogoi

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Monday asked the Election Commission to put out data on how many EVMs were found faulty throughout the Lok Sabha polls. Gogoi, who won the just concluded Lok Sabha elections from Assam's Jorhat seat by defeating his nearest BJP rival by a margin of over 1.44 lakh votes, said he can confidently say that these machines have shown inaccurate results. Gogoi's statement came a day after a fresh political row erupted over EVM tampering claims with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders citing a media report that alleged that a relative of the Shiv Sena candidate in Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency was found using a mobile phone "connected" to an electronic voting machine during the counting of votes on June 4. In a post on 'X', Gogoi said before treating the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) as infallible, the Election Commission of India should put out data on how many EVMs were found faulty throughout the elections. He said the

Bypolls for 13 Assembly seats in 7 states on July 10; results on 13th: EC

The Election Commission on Monday announced bypolls to 13 assembly constituencies across seven states, including four in West Bengal, on July 10. The bypolls are to be held against vacancies created either due to deaths or resignation of incumbent members. The assembly seats going for bypolls are Rupauli (Bihar), Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda and Maniktala (all West Bengal), Vikravandi (Tamil Nadu), Amarwara (Madhya Pradesh), Badrinath and Manglaur (Uttarakhand), Jalandhar West (Punjab) and Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh (Himachal Pradesh). The notification for the elections will be issued on June 14, the last date for filing of nomination papers is June 21, the poll papers will be scrutinised on June 24 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is June 26. The bypolls will be held on July 10 and the counting of votes will be on July 13. The Election Commission said the bypolls have to be completed before July 15.

65.79% turnout recorded in LS polls, excludes postal ballots, says EC

A voter turnout of 65.79 per cent was recorded in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections but the final figures may change as it does not include postal ballots, the Election Commission said on Thursday. In the 2019 parliamentary polls, the turnout was 67.40 per cent. While in 2019, India had 91.20 crore voters and out of these, 61.5 crore had exercised their franchise, in the 2024 polls, the size of the electorate grew to 96.88 crore. At a recent press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said a total of 64.2 crore voters have exercised their franchise in the 2024 polls. "Overall, 65.79 per cent voter turnout recorded in general elections, 2024, at the polling stations," the Election Commission said in a statement. Voter turnout at polling stations means votes polled in electronic voting machines. The poll panel said detailed statistical reports having the number of postal votes and gross voter turnout will be made available after finalisation of details as rec

Rebuffed attempts to vitiate electoral process with rumours, doubts: ECI

The Election Commission on Thursday dedicated the "violence-free" Lok Sabha polls to Mahatma Gandhi and asserted that it rebuffed attempts to vitiate the electoral process with "rumours and baseless doubts" that could have fomented unrest across the country. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu visited the Raj Ghat, the Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, after presenting the notification constituting the 18th Lok Sabha to President Droupadi Murmu. In a statement, CEC Rajiv Kumar pledged that the EC's service to the nation, now in its 76th year, will go on with "unflinching" dedication. "We rebuffed all attempts to vitiate the electoral process with rumours and baseless doubts which could have fomented unrest. The 'Will' and 'Wisdom' of the common man who has enormous faith in democratic institutions of India have prevailed. We are morally and legally obliged to always uphold the same by conducting free, fair and inclusive ...

CEC Rajiv Kumar, 2 ECs meet Prez Murmu; present details of new LS members

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar along with two election commissioners on Thursday presented details of newly elected Lok Sabha members to President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. The meeting is part of the process for the formation of the next or the 18th Lok Sabha. CEC Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, met the President at 4.30 pm, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. "A copy of the notification issued by the Election Commission of India, in terms of Section 73 of the Representation of People's Act, 1951, containing the names of the members elected to the House of the People following the General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, was submitted by them to the President," it said. The section mandates "publication of results of general elections to the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies and of names of persons nominated thereto". President Murmu congratulated th

Election Commission lifts model code of conduct following LS poll results

The model code of conduct that came into force on March 16 with the announcement of the Lok Sabha election has been lifted. In a communication to the Union Cabinet Secretary and state chief secretaries, the Election Commission said as results of Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, along with some assembly bypolls have been declared, "model code of conduct has ceased to be in operation with immediate effect". The model code of conduct is a set of conventions agreed upon by all stakeholders and imposed during elections. Its objective is to keep the campaigning, polling and counting process orderly, clean and peaceful and check any abuse of state machinery and finances by the party in power. While it does not enjoy any statutory backing, the Supreme Court has upheld its sanctity on several occasions. The Election Commission is fully authorised to investigate any violation of the code and pronounce punishment. The poll code fi

Modi's allies want funds, cabinet positions as NDA gears to form new govt

Besides special status and cabinet positions, TDP is also seeking more funds for irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh and to complete the building of its new capital, Amaravati

President Murmu hosts dinner for outgoing Union Council of Ministers

Prime Minister Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, his wife Sudesh Dhankhar, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla were pictured at the dinner in Delhi

24 Muslim candidates win 18th Lok Sabha seats, two less than 2019 polls

As many as 24 Muslim candidates across the country have won the Lok Sabha elections and they include former cricketer Yusuf Pathan of the Trinamool Congress from Bahrampur in West Bengal and Congress' Rakibul Hussain from Dhubri in Assam. However, the community's presence in the 18th Lok Sabha has reduced marginally from 26 last time but is higher than the 2014 tally when 23 Muslim candidates were elected to the lower house of Parliament. As many as 78 Muslims were in the fray in the Lok Sabha elections this year, a significant drop from the last polls when 115 Muslim candidates were fielded by various parties. Among the Muslim candidates who won this time, Rakibul Hussain's victory in Dhubri was significant in terms of the winning margin. The Congress candidate secured 14.71 lakh votes and defeated his nearest rival Mohammad Badruddin Ajmal by one of the highest margins of about 10 lakh votes. On the other hand, first-time contender Yusuf Pathan beat Congress leader in the Lok Sab

We will take action to meet public's wish of not being ruled by BJP: Kharge

INDIA bloc partners will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people's desire not to be ruled by the BJP government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday following the opposition alliance's first meeting after the Lok Sabha poll results. Addressing the media after the nearly two-hour meeting which was seen as the alliance keeping its options open and not staking claim at government formation for now, he said the opposition leaders resolved to continue their fight against the "fascist rule" of the BJP led by Narendra Modi even as they thanked the people for their overwhelming support to the INDIA bloc. "We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people's desire not to be ruled by the BJP's government," Kharge said while reading out a statement adopted by all the alliance constituents after the deliberations at his residence. He said the decision has been taken by all constituents of the INDIA bloc in one voice. The .

INDIA bloc leaders meet in Delhi to discuss possibilities of govt formation

Opposition INDIA bloc leaders began crucial deliberations on Wednesday, exploring the possibilities of government formation, the alliance's future strategy and whether to reach out to former allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu. The leaders met at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence here, a day after Lok Sabha election results were declared. While the BJP won 240 seats and the Congress emerged as the second largest party with 99 seats, the NDA has the majority number with 293 seats and is holding a parallel meeting on government formation. The opposition alliance has 234 seats. The opposition leaders are likely to deliberate on the Lok Sabha poll results and whether to bring on board the Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party to cobble up the numbers required for government formation. Top Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attended the