Page 39 - Election Commission

52.6 million voters in Rajasthan, 25.1 million women, says state EC

The total number of voters in Rajasthan has reached 5.26 crore, of which 2.51 crore are women, the state election department said on Wednesday. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said during a special brief revision program of voter lists in the state, there has been an increase of over 6.96 lakh voters. Till the date of last publication, over 5.26 crore voters are registered in the state. Of these, over 2.73 crore are men and 2.51 crore are women, he said. Gupta said under this revision program, a total of 11.78 lakh voters above 80 years and 17,241 voters above 100 years are registered in the final published voter list. Similarly, a total of 5.61 lakh specially qualified people are registered as voters. These voters registered in the voter list by the Election Commission of India have been provided the option of voting facility through postal ballot in the form of home voting at the time of elections.

ECI likely to announce Telangana election schedule in Oct second week

As the elections approach closer, parties in the state have started working on a war footing. BJP, for instance, is preparing to field senior national leaders to gain an edge over its opponents

EC team to review preparations for polls in Rajasthan, Telangana

A high-level team of the Election Commission will visit Rajasthan on Friday to assess poll preparedness in the state and hold meeting with representatives of recognised political parties. Polls are slated in the desert state later this year. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goyal are on a three-day visit to state from September 29. The Chief Election Commissioner, Commissioners and other senior officials will hold a meeting with representatives of recognised political parties on Friday, Gupta said in a statement. After this, the Commission will hold a discussion with nodal officers of the state police, income tax, excise, transport, commercial tax department, railways and airport etc. On August 30, a presentation will be given to the team by the Chief Electoral Officer, State Police Nodal Officer and Central Police Force Nodal Officers on the preparations for the polls. Th

Pak's Election Commission releases report on delimitation of constituencies

However, on September 1, the ECP had announced squeezing timelines of the delimitation exercise by 14 days to complete the process on Nov 30, instead of the scheduled Dec 1, Dawn reported

Chief Election Commissioner to review election preparedness in Jaipur

The election commission has also decided to increase the election expenditure limit for candidates to Rs 40 lakh from Rs 30 lakh

Bill on EC appointments may not be taken up in this session: Report

The government may not push for passage of the bill on appointment of CEC and election commissioners in the five-day session of Parliament that began Monday, sources said amid criticism of its provisions including by the opposition and former chief election commissioners. They said one view within the government is to refer the bill to the standing committee on law and justice. The bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on August 10. Some former CECs, including N Gopalaswamy, V S Sampat and S Y Quraishi, had on Saturday written to the prime minister opposing the provision to equate the CEC and the ECs to the cabinet secretary. As of now, the poll panel members are equivalent to judges of the Supreme Court. It is not only status but symbolism that election commissioners enjoy the same status as an SC judge. It showed that while the Judiciary is independent, so is EC, the letter said. The status of a SC judge showed the autonomy of the institution, th

All-party meet: Oppn dubs bill on EC appointments as anti-Constitutional

Several opposition leaders on Sunday criticised the bill on the appointment and service conditions of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners at an all-party meeting as "anti-Constitution" and "anti-democratic", sources said. Official sources said there is a rethink in the government on whether to take up the bill for discussion and passage in the five-day session, beginning Monday. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 had featured among the four bills listed by the government a few days back for being taken up in the session. However, criticism, including from a few former CECs and ECs, of some of its provisions might have made the government to reconsider its decision. "We are yet to take a final call," a source said when asked if the government will push for its passage during the session. The bill seeks to replace the Chief Justice of India with a cabinet minister

Centre to hold all-party meet on Parliament's session eve on Sunday

Ahead of the Parliament session, the government will hold a meeting with leaders of all parties on Sunday to brief them and hear their views, amid an intense buzz on whether it will have some surprise item up its sleeve during the five-day sitting. The unusual timing of the session, which begins on Monday, has left everyone wondering, even though the main standout feature on the listed agenda is a special discussion on Parliament's journey of 75 years starting from the "'Samvidhan Sabha" (Constituent Assembly). The government has also listed the bill on the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners to be taken up for consideration and passage during the session. The bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha during the last Monsoon session. The government enjoys the prerogative of tabling in Parliament some new legislation or other items that might not have been part of the listed agenda. Though there is no official word on any probable new legislation,

Pakistan EC decides to frame charges against Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry

On the same day, Pakistan's electoral watchdog will resume hearing in a case pertaining to the confiscation of PTI's 'prohibited funding'

EC team holds meeting on revision of electoral roll, preparedness in Punjab

A team of the Election Commission led by Deputy Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar held a meeting here on Wednesday on special summary revision of the electoral roll and preparedness for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. The meeting was attended by Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C and all 23 Deputy Commissioners-cum-District Election Officers (DEOs). It focused on the revision of the voters' list, the inclusion of names of new voters and the deletion of names of deceased voters, according to an official statement. Reviewing the electoral roll management at the district level, Kumar assessed existing gaps in rolls in terms of elector-population (EP) ratio, gender ratio and age cohorts, it said. The DEOs were asked to make concerted efforts in ensuring a 100 per cent error-free electoral roll. They were also asked to ensure inclusivity and especially focus on marginalised segments, persons with disabilities (PwDs) and transgenders, the statement said. Kumar instructed the

Bru migrants urge EC to retain voters' names in Mizoram electoral list

The General Secretary of the Bru Displaced People's Forum, Bruno Msha, wrote to the CEC asking him to keep the names of Bru voters on the electoral roll of Mizoram

Polling stations to be opened in 40 Naxalite-affected villages of Bastar

Chhattisgarh Assembly elections 2023: In a first, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will be setting up polling centres at villages in Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Bastar, and Dantewada districts

Simultaneous polls good idea but legal framework, roadmap must: Former CECs

Two former chief election commissioners on Friday said the idea of having synchronised polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies was good but a legal framework and roadmap are must to ensure a smooth conduct of the gigantic exercise. One of the former CECs said for the Election Commission, simultaneous elections are both convenient and logical. But many argue that frequent elections are not so bad after all. "The festival of democracy is the festival of the poor as the vote is arguably the only power they have," said S Y Quraishi, who headed the poll panel between July 30, 2010 and June 10, 2012. O P Rawat, who was the CEC between January 23, 2018 and December 1, 2018 said, "It is possible and could be done. All you need is to make a roadmap and work accordingly. All political parties should come on board on this as amendments won't be possible without their support." He said if all the parties are not on board, then it would send a wrong message to the people and they will be ...

Former Prez Kovind-led committee to explore 'one-nation, one-election'

The government has constituted a committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of "one nation, one election", sources said on Friday. The move comes a day after the government called a special session of Parliament between September 18 and 22, the agenda for which is under wraps. Over the years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed strongly for the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, and the decision to task Kovind to look into it underscores the government's seriousness as a host of elections approach. Assembly polls are due in five states in November-December and they will be followed by the Lok Sabha elections in May-June next year. However, the recent moves by the government have thrown open the possibility of advancing the general elections and some state polls, which are scheduled after and with the Lok Sabha contest.

Election Commission of Pakistan raises hopes for elections in February

The assurance was held out to a PML-N delegation, which had a consultative meeting with the ECP on the roadmap to the polls on Friday

Delhi HC refuses to entertain PIL against first level checking of EVMs

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation challenging the State Election Commission's conduct in relation to the First Level Checking of EVMs and VVPATs ahead of the upcoming general elections. Petitioner Anil Kumar, President of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, submitted that sufficient notices were not given for carrying out First Level Checking (FLC) and the political parties thus could not prepare themselves for the process. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula observed that the plea was directed against the State Election Commission when they have nothing to do with it. The officials were working for the Election Commission of India, remarked the court as it asked the petitioner to withdraw the present petition and file a fresh petition. The petitioner prays for withdrawal of the petition with a liberty to file a fresh PIL. The petition is dismissed as withdrawn with the said liberty, the court ...

Sachin Tendulkar is EC's national icon; to encourage voter participation

As the Election Commission battles urban and youth apathy towards voting, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was on Wednesday appointed as a "national icon" of the poll panel to encourage greater voter participation in elections. Tendulkar was made the national icon as the EC gears up to hold assembly polls in five states sometime in October-November and Lok Sabha elections in 2024. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Tendulkar and the poll panel. As part of the three-year agreement, the cricketer will spread voter awareness. Addressing the gathering, Tendulkar said India is the biggest democracy in the world and it is our prime responsibility to exercise our voting rights. He reminded the gathering that he had said that in his second innings, he will continue to bat for India. Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey said the "pitch" on which EC plays to encourage voters to come out and exercise their franchise is "tough". But he expressed confidence that Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar to bat for greater voter turnout as 'National Icon' for EC

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be signed with Sachin Tendulkar for a period of three years tomorrow, ECI said in a statement

EC makes fresh push for eco-friendly campaigns ahead of state polls

Ahead of assembly polls in five states, the Election Commission has expressed concern over the use of non-biodegradable materials for campaigning and urged political parties to avoid plastic and polythene for making posters and banners. The poll panel has come out with consolidated instructions issued by it from 1999 onwards on making election campaign "eco-friendly". In a letter to presidents of all recognised national and state parties on August 18, the poll panel said, "In today's world, the environmental concerns have become more significant. Election Commission is also very concerned with the issue of environment hazards caused by use of non-biodegradable materials in elections." The commission pointed out that since 1999, it has been urging all political parties and candidates to avoid the use of plastic and polythene for preparation of posters, banners during election campaign. "Protecting the environment is not an individual task but a collective responsibility and hence th

Pakistan Election Commission defends move to delay polls beyond 90 days

This order came in the wake of criticism by the political parties, legal and political experts as well as civil society regarding adherence to the 90-day limit