Page 43 - Election Commission

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 The petition is dismissed as withdrawn with the said liberty, the court ...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

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