Page 42 - Election Commission

Elections to 3 Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi, 1 from Sikkim on January 19

Elections to four Rajya Sabha seats -- three from Delhi and one from Sikkim -- will be held on January 19, the Election Commission said on Friday. The six-year term of Sanjay Singh, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Narain Dass Gupta (all from the Aam Aadmi Party) ends on January 27 next year. The term of Hishey Lachungpa (Sikkim Democratic Front) ends on February 23 next year. Singh is in judicial custody after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy. He has been under suspension from the Rajya Sabha since July 24 for unruly behaviour in the House. In a statement, the EC said the election to fill up the four vacancies will be held on January 19 (Friday). The nomination process will start on January 2 with the issuance of notification and January 9 will be the last date to file papers. As per established practice, the polling will take place from 9 am to 4 pm and the counting of votes will commence from 5 pm. The EC noted t

Pakistan's EC extends deadline for filing nomination papers by two days

Pakistan's election commission on Friday extended the deadline for filing nomination papers for the February 8 general elections by two days till Sunday after major political parties sought more time to complete the time-consuming exercise. According to the schedule issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), potential candidates are required to file nomination papers from December 20 to 22. The top election body began accepting nomination papers from prospective candidates on Wednesday. The deadline for the filing of papers was set to expire at 4:30 pm on Friday. However, in a press release on Friday morning, the electoral watchdog announced that nomination papers can now be filed till Dec 24 (Sunday). It said the decision was taken in response to requests from political parties and to facilitate the candidacy process. Political parties must submit priority lists for specific seats to returning officers within the stipulated time, it said. With little than over a month l

EC asks parties not to use derogatory words for persons with disability

The Election Commission has asked politicians not to use derogatory words for persons with disability in public speeches, saying usage of such semantics in speech by members of any political party and their candidates can be interpreted as an affront to such people. In an advisory issued to parties on Wednesday, the poll panel said the very foundation of democracy lies in representation of all communities in the electoral process. "Accessible and inclusive elections have been a non-negotiable priority for the Election Commission of India in particular to ensure equal participation of PwDs. With a renewed rigour, the Commission is consciously striving to promote the principle of accessibility and inclusivity in the elections," the advisory read.

Pakistan's election commission issues poll schedule after apex court ruling

The polling process will begin on December 19, when the returning officer (RO) will issue a public notice, while the ECP will also resume training for the ROs and district returning officers (DROs)

BJP raised Rs 341.65 cr during Karnataka Assembly polls, spent Rs 196.7 cr

The BJP spent Rs 196.70 crore on the Karnataka assembly elections held in May, including Rs 16.83 crore on air charters for star campaigners, the party said in a report submitted to the Election Commission. The BJP central headquarters received Rs 341.65 crore in the period from the announcement of the Karnataka election to the date of completion of the process, according to the report. It stated that the party spent Rs 78.10 crore on advertisements in print and electronic media, bulk messages, websites and TV channels, and Rs 14.21 crore on organising rallies and public meetings. The expenditure also included Rs 34 crore as total lump sum payments to candidates of the party or other candidates authorised or incurred by the state unit. Of the total spending of Rs 196.70 crore, the BJP declared Rs 149.36 crore as expenditure on general party propaganda and Rs 47.33 crore as expenditure on candidates.

EC writes to Centre seeking to vet NCERT social science textbooks: Report

The EC has been engaging in correspondence with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) since 2016 over its plan to recommend changes to textbooks

Rajasthan urban body, panchayati raj institution bypolls to be held in Jan

Rajasthan Election Commissioner Madhukar Gupta on Wednesday said the bypolls on vacant posts in the urban local bodies and the panchayati raj institutions will be held in January next year. Gupta said it is the commission's priority to hold the elections on vacant posts. He said the commission strives to make the electoral process fair, simple, easy and economical. The posts lying vacant due to various reasons in various urban bodies and the panchayati raj institutions of the state till August 31, 2023, include eight posts of members in the urban bodies, 20 of sarpanch in the panchayati raj institutions, 265 of panch, 24 of up-sarpanch, one of pradhan, he added. Gupta said the by-election for seven posts of the panchayat samiti members will also be held. According to this, the voting and counting of votes for the by-election of sarpanch and panch will be held on January 10, 2024, and the election of up-sarpanch will be held on January 11, 2024. Voting for the panchayat samiti mem

Govt moves Bill to regulate poll body authorities' appointment conditions

Union 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

Govt likely to move amendment to bring CEC, ECs on par with SC judges

Amid protests by opposition parties and former chief election commissioners, the government has decided to retain the status of CEC and other election commissioners on par with judges of the Supreme Court. At present, the CECs and ECs enjoy the status of a Supreme Court judge. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August this year had proposed to bring the status of the CEC and other ECs on par with the Cabinet Secretary. The opposition parties and some former CECs had opposed the move, saying it will go against the independence of the institution. According to sources, the official amendment says "The CEC and other commissioners shall be paid a salary which is equal to the salary which is equal to the salary of a judge of the Supreme Court." According to another proposed amendment, a search committee headed by the Union Law Minister comprising two other .

Winter session: Parliament to move bills relating appointments at EC today

Meghwal will also move the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023, in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday for consideration and passage to repeal certain enactments and amend an enactment

Election Commission sets January 5 as polling date for Karanpur seat in Raj

The last Date of Nominations is December 19, 2023, the last Date for Withdrawal of candidatures is December 22 and the date of counting is January 8, 2024," the ECI further informed

Oppn press for early Assembly polls in J-K; govt says EC to take call

Opposition members in the Lok Sabha sought a timeline from the government on Tuesday for holding Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Centre asserting that it is ready and it is up to the Election Commission (EC) to take a decision in the matter. The Union Territory is under central rule since 2018. While Home Minister Amit Shah will respond to the debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, taken up together, on Wednesday, he intervened in the discussion and asserted that the Modi government has ensured that the country has only one flag and one Constitution. The two bills were introduced in the Lower House on July 26. Responding to a remark by TMC's Saugata Roy that "ek nishan, ek pradhan, ek samvidhan (one flag, one head, one Constitution)" was a "political slogan", Shah wondered how can a country have two prime ministers, two constitutions and two flags. He said the Trinamool Congress leader's

Delhi residents who relocated asked to re-register on electoral rolls

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi has asked residents of clusters and government housing colonies who have relocated to get their names included in the electoral rolls of areas where they now reside. The summary revision exercise of the electoral rolls ends on December 9. The election office has asked people to fill Form-8 -- used when there is a change of address of a registered voter -- and submit it either online or offline before the last date. "It has come to the notice of this office that several clusters/government colonies/residential buildings have been relocated due to various reasons, including redevelopment, removal of encroachment etc and the occupants of these clusters/government colonies/residential buildings have also been shifted/relocated to other areas of Delhi," the Office of Chief Electoral Officer said in a public notice. The notice urged all registered voters of such clusters, government colonies and residential buildings to register themselv

13 centres, 4000 personnel assigned: Counting day preparations in Mizoram

The state election department informed that all preparations and arrangements have been made for the counting scheduled to be held on Monday

Mizoram Assembly polls: Counting of votes deferred by a day to Monday

The counting of votes in Mizoram will take place on December 4, a day after it was originally scheduled, the Election Commission said on Friday. It said the decision was taken following representations from various quarters requesting for a change in the date of counting from December 3 on the ground that Sunday holds a special significance for the people of Mizoram, a Christian-majority state. "The Commission, having considered these representations, has decided to revise the date of counting for the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Mizoram from 3rd December, 2023 (Sunday) to 4th December, 2023 (Monday)," it stated. The counting was earlier scheduled for December 3, along that in four other states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana - where assembly polls were held last month.

Telangana Assembly polls: PM urges people to vote in record numbers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday urged the people of Telangana to vote in record numbers in the assembly polls and strengthen the festival of democracy. Polling is underway to elect 119 members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, with voters queuing up to exercise their franchise amid tight security on Thursday. In a post on X, Modi said, "I call upon my sisters and brothers of Telangana to vote in record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy." "I particularly urge young and first-time voters to exercise their franchise," he said. Voting began at 7 AM in the 35,655 polling stations across the state, officials said. Polling would be held till 5 PM in 106 constituencies, while it would conclude at 4 PM in 13 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected seats.

12,000 critical polling stations identified: Telangana CEO ahead of polls

The CEO added that as many as 27,000 registered voters in the state have already registered their votes by enlisting for the home-voting system this year

MP Postal Nodal officer suspended over opening of ballots in Balaghat

"No postal ballot votes were counted in Balaghat. Though a procedural error occurred there about opening the ballot box before time. It was opened before the due date," the CEO said

Congress writes to MP CEO over postal ballot 'malpractice', officials deny

The Congress on Monday submitted a memorandum to the Madhya Pradesh chief electoral officer seeking action against the Balaghat collector for allegedly taking postal ballots out of the strong room and indulging in malpractice. Assembly polls were held in MP on November 17, while votes will be counted on December 3. Chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan denied the allegations and said local Congress leaders have expressed satisfaction at the procedure. "The service votes (postal ballots) were being segregated Assembly wise by taking them out from the strong room in the presence of authorized Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party agents. These were kept in the boxes meant for it," Rajan told PTI. A total 429 service votes of Baihar, 553 of Lanjhi, 452 of Paraswada, 1308 of Balaghat, 391 of Waraseoni and 126 of Katangi were segregated in the presence of authorized agents, he added. JP Dhanopia, Congress vice president and the party's in charge of the Election Commission, in the memorand

EC asks Telangana govt to stop aid to farmers; BRS blames Congress

In a stern message on maintaining sanctity of the poll code, the Election Commission on Monday withdrew permission to the Telangana government to distribute financial aid to farmers for rabi crops under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme after a state minister violated the code by going public about it. Assembly elections in Telangana will be held on November 30 and results announced on December 3. The poll panel had given its nod to the state government to disburse the rabi installment during the model code of conduct period on certain conditions, and had asked it not to publicise the disbursement. The Congress slammed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) over the Election Commission's (EC) withdrawal of permission, alleging it was a result of the irresponsible and self-serving approach of the K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR)-led party. In a post on X, Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said due to the irresponsible and narrow self-serving approach of the BRS and (minister) Harish