Page 21 - Election Commission

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

LG govt has shaken up administration: NC asks EC to suspend transfer

The National Conference on Friday called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to thoroughly investigate the massive transfers in the police and civil administration, and demanded immediate suspension of the implementation of such orders. National Conference general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said the move seems "clearly intended to undermine" the integrity of the electoral process, which restricts such transfers to prevent the ruling party from gaining an undue administrative advantage over the opposition. "Why has a massive reshuffle been ordered in the police and administration since last evening, and today morning, seemingly to pre-empt the Election Commission's announcement? It appears to have been orchestrated by a BJP-appointed LG to benefit his party and its allies," Sagar said in a statement. "The LG government has strategically shaken up the entire administrative set up compromising the principles of free and fair elections," he added. The National Conference called

Election Commission to release poll schedule for key states at 3 pm

The terms of legislative assemblies in Haryana and Maharashtra will expire on Nov 3 and Nov 26, respectively. J&K elections are expected to be held before Sept 30, as ordered by the Supreme Court

Ensure level playing field during Assembly polls: EC to Haryana officials

The Election Commission has directed district election officers and superintendents of police in Haryana to act with complete impartiality and ensure a level playing field for free and fair assembly elections. Underscoring its focus on an inducement-free poll process, the commission directed the enforcement agencies to work in a coordinated manner to curb the inflow of illicit liquor, cash and drugs. The directions were issued by an Election Commission (EC) team led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. The team is on a two-day visit of Haryana to review poll preparedness for assembly elections, likely to be held later this year. The term of the 90-member Haryana Assembly is due to expire on November 3. The EC team, also comprising election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, arrived in Chandigarh on Monday. During the visit, the team met representatives of national and state parties such as AAP, BJP, CPI(M), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and th

Committed to conducting elections in J&K at earliest: CEC Rajiv Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Friday said that the EC was committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and would not allow any internal or external forces derail the electoral process. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said all parties in Jammu and Kashmir are "batting strongly" for holding assembly elections. "We are committed to conducting polls in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest and we will not let any internal or external forces derail the election," Kumar said. "All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are batting strongly for holding assembly elections as soon as possible," he added. An Election Commission delegation led by Kumar is in Jammu and Kashmir on a three-day visit to review the preparedness of the administration as well as the security agencies for the conduct of the polls. On the second day of their visit on Friday, the EC delegation that also includes Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu, held discussi

J-K poll: EC team holds consultations with chief secretary, police chief

The Election Commission on Friday held consultations with the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary and the union territory's police chief to review the preparedness for assembly polls, officials said. On the second day of their visit, the EC delegation comprising Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and S S Sandhu held discussions with J-K chief secretary Atal Dullo and J-K Police DGP R R Swain, the officials said. The ECI reviewed the preparedness of the administration as well as the security agencies for the conduct of the polls. The ECI team sought feedback from the DGP on the readiness and preparation of the forces for the polls, the officials said. The issues of deployment of forces, providing security cover to candidates, and security during campaigning were deliberated upon, the officials added. After the meeting, the ECI team left for Jammu where it will hold a review meeting with enforcement agencies. It will also hold a pres

Elections to 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats from 9 states on September 3: EC

Elections to 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3, the Election Commission said on Wednesday. Ten Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant as the sitting members, including Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Sarbananda Sonowal and Jyotiraditya Scindia, were elected to the Lok Sabha. Bypolls are also being held for two seats in Telangana and Odisha. K Keshava Rao from Telangana resigned recently from the House after quitting the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to join the Congress while Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Mamata Mohanta resigned from her Rajya Sabha seat and primary membership of the party. Besides Goyal, Sonowal and Scindia, the other Rajya Sabha members who won the parliamentary polls and moved to the Lok Sabha are Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (BJP), Misha Bharti (RJD), Vivek Thakur (BJP), Deepender Singh Hooda (Congress), Udayanraje Bhosle (BJP), K C Venugopal (Congress) and Biplab Kumar Deb (BJP). The notification for the Rajya Sabha elections will be issued on Aug

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