Page 20 - Election Commission

Sri Lanka set for parliamentary polls on Nov 14, all arrangements in place

Sri Lanka is set to hold its parliamentary election on Thursday with all arrangements in place to ensure a fair and transparent process, a top election commission official has said. Voting will take place at over 13,314 polling stations across the country, from 7 am to 4 pm local time on Thursday. Director General of the Elections Commission Saman Sri Ratnayaka on Tuesday said that all ballot boxes and other equipment needed at the polling stations would be dispatched on Wednesday. The polling station officials will carry out rehearsals from 7 am on Wednesday," Ratnayaka said. Over 17 million voters from the island's 21 million population are eligible to vote. 225 members would be elected from voting based on proportional representation. The western province district of Gampaha would elect the highest number of Members of Parliament 19 with the capital district of Colombo from the same province having 18 MPs elected. The eastern province district of Trincomalee will elect the lo

Raut alleges huge money distribution ahead of Assembly polls, questions ECI

Taking a jibe at the ECI, Raut asked why only the vehicles and planes of opposition leaders are being checked

TMC complains to EC, claims poll code violation by BJP's Suvendu Adhikari

The Trinamool Congress on Monday complained to the Election Commission of India alleging that BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari breached the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by making communal remarks during a campaign rally for the byelection to Taldangra assembly constituency. In West Bengal, bypolls will be held in six assembly constituencies on November 13, necessitated due to resignations of sitting MLAs of the six segments following their victory in this year's Lok Sabha elections. The TMC, in a complaint letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, alleged that the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, "made inflammatory and communal remarks" violating the MCC. The TMC sought immediate intervention of the Election Commission of India in enforcing "appropriate penal action including strict censorship of Suvendu Adhikari and BJP as a stakeholder political party for palpable violation of Model Code of Conduct. A 3-member TMC delegation, comprising lead

Wayanad bypolls: EC seizes food kits with Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi's photos

The by-election for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is scheduled for November 13

ECI orders transfer of Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla ahead of polls

hief Secretary has been directed to submit a panel of three IPS officers for the appointment of the new DGP by 1 PM on November 5, 2024

EC accepts J'khand govt's proposal to appoint Alka Tiwari as chief secy

The Election Commission on Friday accepted the Jharkhand government's proposal to appoint Alka Tiwari as the chief secretary of the poll-bound state. Assembly polls in Jharkhand will be held in two phases -- November 13 and November 20. Tiwari, who is from the 1988 batch, is currently the senior-most IAS officer in the cadre. Before this, the poll panel had also consented to the proposal of a five-month extension of the tenure of former chief secretary Lalbiaktluanga Khiangte, sources said. Meanwhile, the state government issued a notification announcing the appointment of Tiwari as the chief secretary. "The proposal for appointment has been approved by the Election Commission of India," a notification from the department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Rajbhasha said. Her husband and 1986-batch retired IAS officer Dr DK Tiwari had earlier held the topmost bureaucratic post in the state. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a post on X said: "Mr Khiangte has retired

EC rejects Congress' allegation over irregularities in Haryana polls

In a letter to the Congress party, the Commission urged them to refrain from making unfounded claims after every election, accusing the party of creating "generic" doubts without substance

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