Page 40 - Election Commission

Telangana elections 2023: Cong to accept applications at payment of Rs 50K

Karnataka unit Congress charged Rs 2 lakh from the aspiring candidates of the general category while it charged Rs 1 lakh from SC/ST applicants in the Assembly polls held earlier in May

Mizoram elections 2023: ECI officials to visit state on August 29

The 20-member delegation will include three constitutional authorities and 17 officials and will be led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar

Delhi Cong chief Anil Chaudhary holds meeting with party representatives

Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary on Saturday said the party should press the Election Commission to hold mock drills on the use of EVMs and VVPATs and seek information about previous use of the machines ahead of Lok Sabha elections. The block-level agents have been asked to give information for the formation of block-level 'mandalam' and sector for delimitation, Chaudhary said at a meeting with the party representatives. He asked the Congress representatives to present the party's stand before the Election Commission and get details of EVM machines like serial numbers and the manufacturing company. Being a stakeholder in the democratic process of conducting elections, it is the duty and responsibility of the Congress to find out where all the EVM and VVPAT machines were used for elections before. We should demand a mock drill of the EVM and VVPAT machines, he said. Chaudhary alleged that the meetings of the Election Commission with representatives of political parties are mere .

Election Commission comes out with final report on Assam delimitation

The Election Commission on Friday published its final report on the delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Assam, keeping their total numbers unchanged at 126 and 14, respectively. In its final order, the poll panel has revised the nomenclature of one parliamentary and 19 assembly constituencies. According to a statement by the poll body, 19 assembly and two Lok Sabha constituencies have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs). One Lok Sabha and nine assembly constituencies have been reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs). It said more than 1,200 representations were considered before finalising the report. Forty-five per cent of the suggestions and objections received by the panel were addressed in the final order. All assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the state were delimited (redrawn) based on the 2001 Census. "The Census figures of 2001, as published by the census commissioner, have thus alone been considered for this purpose," it noted. One ...

Govt wants to ensure control over Election Commission in poll year: Cong

The Congress on Friday alleged that the Modi government wants to ensure control over the Election Commission in a poll year. Sharing a letter written in June 2012 by veteran BJP leader L K Advani to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said even he had said that the appointments to constitutional bodies should be done in a bipartisan manner to remove any impression of bias. The Centre on Thursday tabled a contentious bill in Rajya Sabha that seeks to replace the Chief Justice of India with a cabinet minister in the panel for selection of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners, in a move that will allow the government to have more control in the appointments of members of the poll panel. Ramesh said Advani had also proposed a panel at that time with the Chief Justice of India and leaders of opposition in both houses, besides the prime minister. "In its current form, the CEC Bill will ensure executive interference with its 2:1 dominanc

Bill to replace CJI with cabinet minister for CEC, ECs selection tabled

The government on Thursday introduced in the Rajya Sabha a contentious bill that seeks to replace the Chief Justice of India with a cabinet minister in the panel for selection of chief election commissioners and election commissioners, amid an uproar by the opposition. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 in the Upper House in the post-lunch session. According to the bill, future chief election commissioners and election commissioners will be selected by a three-member panel headed by the prime minister and comprising the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Cabinet minister. Opposition parties including the Congress and APP have raised strong objections to the bill and accused the government of diluting a Constitution bench order.

Proposed election commisioners selection bill ploy to rig 2024 polls: TMC

The TMC Thursday alleged that the new proposed bill that seeks to regulate the selection of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners is a ploy to rig the 2024 Lok Sabha poll as the BJP is afraid of the united INDIA alliance. Future chief election commissioners and election commissioners will be selected by a three-member panel headed by the prime minister and comprising the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha besides a cabinet minister, according to the bill listed for introduction in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. A Supreme Court judgment in March said the panel should comprise the prime minister, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha and the chief justice of India. TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale called it is an attempt to rig the general election in 2024. Shocking. BJP is rigging the 2024 election openly. Modi government has again brazenly trampled upon an SC judgment and is making the Election Commission its own bunch of stooges. In the (EC ...

Kejriwal slams PM on bill on appointments of election commission officials

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a bill that seeks to regulate the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners, claiming it will influence the fairness of elections. Future chief election commissioners and election commissioners will be selected by a three-member panel headed by the prime minister and comprising the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Cabinet minister, according to a bill listed for introduction in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. This is in contrast to a Supreme Court judgment of March which said the panel should comprise the prime minister, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. In a couple of long posts on X, earlier known as Twitter, Kejriwal also accused Modi of not following the Supreme Court order and said this is a "very dangerous situation". "I had already said that the prime minister does not obey the Supreme Court of the country.

Bill for selection of ECs: Cong appeals to political parties to oppose it

The Congress on Thursday appealed to all democratic forces to oppose a new bill that seeks to regulate the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, and asked if the BJD and YSRCP will also join hands. Congress MP and whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah want to control the Election Commission by bringing the bill. The bill has been listed in the day's business in the Rajya Sabha. "Modi and Shah wants to control the ECI as they are doing now," Tagore alleged on X, formerly known as Twitter. "All the Democratic forces must appose. Will BJD and YSRCP do," Tagore asked. The government has listed a bill for introduction in the Rajya Sabha to regulate the appointment, conditions of service and term of office of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Te

Bill proposes cabinet minister, not CJI in selection panel to appoint CEC

Future chief election commissioners and election commissioners will be selected by a three-member panel headed by the prime minister and comprising the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Cabinet minister, according to a bill listed for introduction in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. This is in contrast to a Supreme Court judgment of March which said the panel should comprise of the prime minister, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. Opposition leaders, including from the Congress, immediately seized the opportunity and accused the government of diluting a Constitution bench order. A vacancy will arise in the Election Commission (EC) early next year when Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey demits office on February 14 on attaining the age of 65 years. His retirement will come just days before the likely announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls' schedule by the EC. On the past two occasions, the commission had announced parliamentary

Hackers may have access to information on millions of British voters: EC

Hackers may have information on tens of millions of British voters after they got access to electoral registers, the UK's election watchdog said on Tuesday nearly a year after the breach was discovered. The Electoral Commission apologized for the breach but said much of the information was already in the public domain and that the names and addresses of people who registered to vote between 2014 and 2022 was unlikely to be used by hostile actors to sway election results. The UK's democratic process is significantly dispersed and key aspects of it remain based on paper documentation and counting," said Shaun McNally, the commission's chief executive. This means it would be very hard to use a cyber-attack to influence the process." The commission reported the breach to the Information Commissioner's Office within three days of discovering it last October. The Guardian quoted the commission as saying that it did not report the attack immediately to the public because it needed to bre

Bypolls to seven assembly seats on September 5: Election Commission

Bypolls to seven assembly seats including the one vacated following the death of Congress veteran Oommen Chandy will be held on September 5, the Election Commission said on Tuesday. Counting of votes will take place on September 8. The bypolls will be held for two seats in Tripura, and one seat each in Kerala, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The by-election to the Dumri assembly seat in Jharkhand was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Jagarnath Mahto. Boxanagar and Dhanpur seats in Tripura will go for bypoll due to the demise of sitting MLA Samsul Haque and resignation of Pratima Bhoumik, the EC said. Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal was vacated following the death of sitting assembly member Bishnu Pada Ray, while the Ghosi seat in Uttar Pradesh fell vacant after SP's Dara Singh Chauhan resigned to join the BJP. The Bageshwar seat in Uttarakhand fell vacant after the demise of sitting MLA Chandan Ram Das. Chandy was the MLA from the Puthup

Election Commission begins preparation for Mizoram Assembly elections 2023

The state is currently governed by the Mizo National Front, with Zoramthanga as the chief minister. In 2018, MNF won 26 in the 40-seat Assembly

Election of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Kargil on Sept 10

The election to 26 seats of the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, is scheduled for September 10 and counting of votes will be held four days later, a senior official said on Saturday. While polls are held for 26 seats of the council, four members with voting rights are nominated by the administration. Deputy Commissioner Shrikant Suse said EMVs will be used for the voting, assuring people of free and fair polls to constitute the fifth Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil. The official said filing of nominations will start on August 16 and will go on till August 23. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on August 24 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is August 26, he said. The National Conference and the Congress have already announced an alliance for polls. "Two notifications were issued by the election department, Ladakh, to constitute the fifth LAHDC, Kargil. With the issuance of the notification, the model code o

SC seeks EC reply in 3 weeks on NGO's plea for cross verification of EVMs

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the response of the Election Commission of India to a plea by an NGO seeking cross verification by the voters of votes cast by them as "counted as recorded" in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M Trivedi said it is not issuing notice to the Election Commission but only asking for a copy of the petition filed by NGO 'Association for Democratic Reforms' (ADR) to be served upon the standing counsel of the poll panel. The bench asked the EC to file its reply within three weeks. "We think that it appears to be a case of over suspicion. We sometimes tend to be overly suspicious on certain matters. We are sure that they (EC) might have taken steps to rectify any such problems, if they existed. Therefore, we are not issuing notice and only asking for the copy to be served," the bench told advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for the NGO. Bhushan said he too

SC to hear Uddhav's plea against EC order on party name, symbol on Jul 31

The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear on July 31 Uddhav Thackeray's plea against the Election Commission's order allotting the name 'Shiv Sena' and the undivided party's bow and arrow election symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha said the matter was listed for hearing after advocate Amit Anand Tiwari sought its urgent listing. "It is listed on July 31, we will hear it on that day," the bench said and allowed Tiwari to file a rejoinder to the reply submitted by the Shinde faction. The top court had on February 22 sought the response of the Shinde faction and the Election Commission on Thackeray's plea. In his application, Thackeray said the matter required urgent hearing as the impugned order is completely illegal in view of the recent Constitution bench judgment of the top court pronounced on May 11. The apex court, in a unanimous judgment, had held the then Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari's direction to Thackera

CBIC issues SoP to check use of freebies to lure voters during elections

The CBIC has come out with detailed instructions for tax officers to implement the directions of the Election Commission with regard to the use of freebies, illicit cash, liquor and drugs to lure voters, and asked them to share information with other enforcement agencies. The GST and Customs officials will also be required to monitor the distribution of coupon-based or free fuel or cash for alluring prospective voters under the new Standard Operating Procedure (SoP). The officials would also monitor fuel consumption by candidates and parties and keep a tab on expenditure on food, hotels, parties, tent house etc. The GST officers would keep an extensive check on restaurant/eateries, marriage hall/ farm houses/ slaughter house/ meat house in the poll-bound area, said a detailed SoP issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The GST and Customs officials would also set up "flying squads and static surveillance teams" for the effective conduct of road and transit

Election Commission doesn't have powers to change party's name: Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said the Election Commission (EC) can allot an electoral symbol to a party, but it does not have powers to change the name of a party. Speaking to reporters in Amaravati district during a tour of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, the former state chief minister also said the name 'Shiv Sena' was given by his grandfather (Keshav Thackeray) and he will not let anyone "steal" it. In February this year, the Election Commission allotted the name Shiv Sena' and its poll symbol bow and arrow' to the group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The EC allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to retain the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the flaming torch' poll symbol, given to it in an interim order last year. After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Uddhav Thackeray broke ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with the help of the NCP and Congress. In June last year, Shinde

Bengal SEC orders repolling on July 10 in booths where voting declared void

The West Bengal State Election Commission announced that repolling will be held on Monday in all booths where voting for the rural elections has been declared void. The SEC, which held a meeting on Sunday evening, went through reports of vote-tampering and violence which affected polling in many places, and passed the order, an official said. Among districts where repolling was announced, Murshidabad has the highest number of booths at 175, followed by Malda with 112. Violence-hit Nadia will see repolling in 89 booths, while North and South 24 Parganas districts will witness repolling in 46 and 36 booths respectively.

BJP holds protest outside SEC office against Bengal rural poll violence

BJP supporters on Sunday staged a demonstration in front of the office of West Bengal State Election Commission here, protesting against the panchayat poll violence that left 15 people dead. Security was beefed up around the SEC office in the city as BJP workers shouted slogans against the alleged "inability" of the commission to conduct the elections peacefully. A delegation of the BJP's state unit went inside the office to meet State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha, a party leader said. A total of 73,887 seats in the state's three-tier panchayat system went to the polls on Saturday, with 2.06 lakh candidates in the fray. A voter turnout of 66.28 per cent was recorded provisionally, officials said. The toll in the violence during the rural polls rose to 15 after a person was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries, they said. The BJP, which blamed the state election commissioner for the poll-related deaths, shot off a letter to Union Home ..