Page 28 - Election Commission

LS polls: Cong MP files complaint against Assam CM over MCC 'violation'

Congress MP and Lok Sabha poll candidate from Nagaon constituency in Assam, Pradyut Bordoloi, has filed a complaint against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that he violated the model code of conduct by offering money to all ration cardholders during the ongoing election campaign. Bordoloi filed the complaint to the chief election commissioner on Tuesday night, alleging that Sarma, in a public meeting in Lakhimpur during the day, made a promise to transfer Rs 10,000 to the bank accounts of every ration cardholder after the election. Stating that such assurances are a "clear violation" of MCC, the Congress leader said, "Such promises are not only unethical but also an attempt to influence voters through financial inducements, thereby compromising the integrity of the electoral process". He urged the ECI to investigate the matter thoroughly and take appropriate action against the chief minister for his "misconduct". Bordoloi also filed another complaint with the chief ...

LS polls: Special polling stations set up in Gujarat's remote areas

Election authorities in Gujarat have set up special polling stations in 11 remote and difficult-to-access places, including deep forests and small islands, to ensure no eligible person is deprived of voting in the Lok Sabha polls. All the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls in a single phase on May 7. The Election Commission has already erected necessary infrastructure for the special polling stations. One such remote area is Banej, situated deep inside the protected Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, where a polling booth has been set up for a lone voter, Mahant Haridasji, who is the priest of a Lord Shiva temple there, a release from the office of the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer said. The nearest human-populated area from Banej is several kilometers away, as per the release. While the area falls under the jurisdiction of Gir Somnath district, Banej booth comes under Junagadh Lok Sabha seat. "A special polling booth has been set up for this single voter during every election

Smriti Irani accuses Rahul Gandhi of taking PFI support in Wayanad

Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani Monday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has taken the support of the banned Popular Front of India to contest the Lok Sabha election from Kerala's Wayanad seat. Referring to Gandhi, who represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha earlier, the BJP leader said the people of the constituency tolerated an MP for 15 years who did nothing for them. Irani is seeking a re-election from the seat. "We have received information that Rahul Gandhi took the support of the terrorist organisation PFI to contest the elections in Wayanad," she said. Irani also claimed that according to a charge sheet filed against the PFI, the outfit has listed the number of Hindus to be killed in every district. "Rahul Gandhi should tell the people of Amethi why he is contesting the Wayanad election with the help of such an organisation," Irani told reporters. "I was in Wayanad a few days ago and I came to know that Rahul Gandhi has declared Wayanad as his family. It is s

10 TMC MPs sit on 24-hour dharna outside Election Commission office

The leaders are alleging that the probe agencies are targeting Opposition leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections

Cong moves EC against PM Modi, BJP over 'Muslim League' jab at manifesto

'We are deeply saddened by what the Prime Minister says in his speeches,' said the Congress

Story in Numbers: Voters' pie in population getting larger, shows data

Current estimates suggest that voters now make up almost 70 per cent of total population

LS elections 2024: EC uses social media to nudge electors to vote

The Election Commission has launched a variety of campaigns across social media platforms to nudge young and urban voters to cast their ballot in the Lok Sabha elections. The poll watchdog has also initiated a campaign urging people to first verify then amplify what they get on social media related to elections. Polling for seven phase Lok Sabha elections will commence from April 19 with June 1 being the last phase. According to the EC, it is nudging young and first-time voters through 'Turning 18' campaign, urging them to come to the polling station to vote. 'You are the One' campaign seeks to recognise importance of different stakeholders in the election process, including polling machinery, in ensuring that no voter is left behind. From voters and political parties to booth level officers (BLOs), ground staff, polling parties, administrative personnel, media professionals, central forces, and security personnel, each stakeholder plays a vital role in ensuring the integrity and

Suvidha portal gets 73,000 applications for campaign-related activities

The Election Commission on Sunday said its Suvidha portal has received over 73,000 applications since the Lok Sabha polls were announced, seeking permission for various campaigning activities. The applications submitted by by parties and candidates include requests for booking rally grounds, opening temporary party offices and operating video publicity vans, the EC said. More than 44,600 requests have been approved with first in-first out principle ensuring level playing field for parties and candidates, it said. Of the total requests received, nearly 11,200 or 15 per cent were rejected, and 10,819 applications cancelled as they were invalid or duplicate, the data released by the commission showed. Maximum requests were received from Tamil Nadu (23,239), followed by West Bengal (11,976) and Madhya Pradesh (10,636). The least number of requests so far have been received from Chandigarh (17), Lakshadweep (18) and Manipur (20), the poll authority said. The Suvidha portal has stream

Tripura: Senior citizens, specially-abled can vote from home from April 9

Earlier, the Election Commission announced 'vote-from-home' facilities for citizens over 85 years of age and persons with disabilities for the Lok Sabha elections

EC asks Atishi for facts to back her statement on BJP's 'poaching' bid

The Election Commission on Friday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi, asking her to back with facts her statement that the BJP approached her to join the party. The BJP moved the poll commission a day back against Atishi's "false statement" that the party had reached out to her through someone close and asked her to join it. The Election Commission notice to Atishi read, "...you are a minister in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and leader of a national party. The electors tend to believe whatever is being said from public forum by their leaders and in that sense the statements made by them affect the campaign discourse." The poll panel said it expects that there must be a "factual foundation" to the statements made by the AAP leader. "...when the veracity of the statements made by you is contested then you must be able to back your statements by a factual basis," it added. On April 2, the AAP leader claimed that the BJP approach

LS elections: 53.5 mn voters in Rajasthan, 4.5 mn up since 2019 polls

A total of 5.35 crore voters are registered in Rajasthan for the Lok Sabha elections. Of these, 1.40 crore are service voters. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 4.89 crore voters were registered. The total number of voters in the state has increased by 45.51 lakh. Rajasthan Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said on Friday that the voter lists of all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state have been published. He said out of all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state, Pali has the highest number of registered voters at 23.48 lakh and Dausa Lok Sabha constituency has the least number of voters at 19.03 lakh. Gupta said as compared to 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there has been a total increase of 45.5 lakh voters. During this period, the number of male voters has increased by 23.13 lakh and the number of female voters by 22.37 lakh and the number of third gender voters increased by 361. Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases, on April 19 and April 26.

EC identifies 266 parl seats with lower voter turnout; plans intervention

The Election Commission on Friday said it has identified 266 parliamentary constituencies, including 215 in rural areas, with low voter turnout and is planning targeted intervention to enhance voting percentage in Lok Sabha polls. Municipal commissioners from major cities and select district election officers (DEOs) from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh discussed enhancing voter engagement and participation in identified urban and rural Lok Sabha seats. At its conference on low voter turnout here, the EC said 266 parliamentary constituencies -- 215 rural and 51 urban -- with low voter turnout have been identified. Eleven states and union territories, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, had a voter turnout lower than the national average of 67.40 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the participants, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stressed that 'one size fits all' approac

Union IT Minister Chandrasekhar declares assets worth over Rs 28 crore

BJP leader and Union IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is contesting the polls from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, has declared assets worth over Rs 28 crore. Chandrasekhar, who is fighting against Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and sitting MP Shashi Tharoor, and CPI veteran Pannian Raveendran in the April 26 polls, submitted his nomination papers before the returning officer on Thursday. As per the affidavit filed along with the nomination paper, the total value of his movable assets stands at Rs 13,69,18,637, while his spouse possesses assets valued at Rs 12,47,00,408. These include cash in hand, details of deposits in banks, non-banking financial companies, and cooperative societies, as well as investments in bonds, debentures, shares, units in companies/mutual funds, and other financial instruments. His movable assets also comprise a 1942 model Red Indian Scout, registered in Karnataka and purchased in 1994 for Rs 10,000, along with jewellery, bullion, and

EC notice to AAP leader Atishi over statement on BJP's 'poaching' bid

The Election Commission Friday issued a show-cause notice to Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi, asking her to back with facts her statement that the BJP approached her to join the party. The BJP moved the commission earlier against her claim that the party reached out to her through someone close and asked her to join it. The notice issued by the Election Commission read, "...you are a minister in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and leader of a national party. The electors tend to believe whatever is being said from public forum by their leaders and in that sense the statements made by them affect the campaign discourse." The poll panel said it expects that there must be a "factual foundation" to the statements made by the AAP leader and since the veracity of the statements made has been contested, she must be able to back it with a factual basis. The AAP leader has been asked to respond by Monday noon. "Now, therefore, you are hereby called upon to furnis

LS polls: Digital clocks and smart TV box are new-age freebies in Karnataka

Lok Sabha elections: Poll officers in Karnataka reported that alongside traditional freebies such as groceries and cookers, new age attractions have also taken centre stage this election

EC issues guidelines for genuine electors to cast vote without voter I-card

Seeking to ensure that no genuine elector is deprived of the right to vote, the Election Commission has told state poll officers to ignore clerical or spelling errors provided the voter's identity can be established through the voter I-card. It has also said that a voter I-card issued by the electoral registration officer of another assembly constituency will be accepted for identification provided the elector's name is in the electoral rolls of the polling station where he or she has turned up. In case of a mismatch of photograph, the elector will have to produce one of the alternative photo documents listed out by the EC. In an order issued last month, the EC said the electors who are not able to produce their voter I-card will have to furnish one of the alternative photo identity documents for establishing their identity. These include the Aadhaar card, MNREGA job card, passbooks with photograph issued by a bank or post office, health insurance smart card issued by the Labour ..

LS polls: EC curbs on volunteers disbursing pensions spark slugfest in AP

The recent order by the Election Commission barring volunteers associated with the Andhra Pradesh government from performing poll duties and administering welfare schemes has sparked a crossfire between the ruling YSRCP and the opposition NDA, comprising TDP, BJP and Janasena. The YSRCP government introduced a ward and village volunteer system in 2019 as a decentralised governance delivery mechanism. This system enables a volunteer, who oversees 50-60 households, to go to the threshold of the beneficiary to hand-deliver welfare pension. However, on March 30, the ECI issued orders banning volunteers from extending government schemes, welfare benefits and other related activities, which eventually brought the monthly pensions disbursal to a grinding halt, which otherwise would have been completed on April 1. However, this unforeseen consequence transformed into a major political slugfest between the ruling party and opposition coalition, who are striving to milk the development to the

ECI meets with States, UTs to ensure peaceful, inducement free elections

The meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was attended by top officials from States/UTs and central agencies

Tharoor files nomination from Thiruvananthapuram for 4th bid in LS polls

Senior Congress leader and three-time Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor filed his nomination on Wednesday from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency for the fourth consecutive time in the Lok Sabha elections. Tharoor arrived at the district collectorate in the afternoon along with senior party leaders, including MLA M Vincent, former minister V S Sivakumar, and Thiruvananthapuram DCC president Palode Ravi, along with other workers. He shook hands with people and exchanged pleasantries while proceeding to the Collectorate complex. Some party activists draped shawls around him and expressed their support. Before filing his nomination, Tharoor offered prayers at famed shrines in the constituency, including Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple. With senior CPI leader and former Thiruvananthapuram MP Pannian Raveendran and BJP leader and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar as Tharoor's challengers in the fray, the high-profile Thiruvananthapuram constituency is set for

Lok Sabha polls: EC to meet officials to assess security along borders

Election Commission will hold a meeting with top state and Union territory officials and central agencies guarding the borders on Wednesday to assess the security along the borders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. During the meeting, scheduled to be held at the Election Commission headquarters here, the law-and-order situation and vigilance along the borders in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be reviewed. Officials from states and Union Territories are scheduled to join the meeting through video conference. India shares borders with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and China.