Page 47 - Election Commission

Any 'hanky panky': SC asks for govt file on Arun Goel's appointment as EC

The Supreme Court asked the Centre on Wednesday to produce before it the file related to the appointment of Election Commissioner Arun Goel, who was appointed on November 19. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice K M Joseph said it wants to know whether there was any "hanky panky" in Goel's appointment as election commissioner as he was only recently given voluntary retirement from service. The bench rejected the objections of Attorney General R Venkataramani on the court willing to see the file related to Goel's appointment while the hearing is on. Venkataramani said the court is dealing with the larger issue of appointment of ECs and the chief election commissioner (CEC) and it cannot look at an individual case flagged by advocate Prashant Bhushan. "I take serious objection to this and have my reservation to the court seeing the file amidst the hearing of a Constitution bench," he said. The bench said it started hearing the matter last Thursday and Goel's appointment

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Election commission needs a person like the late T N Seshan to lead it: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Constitution has vested enormous powers on the "fragile shoulder" of the chief election commissioner and the two election commissioners and it wants a CEC of strong character like late T N Seshan. Seshan was a former cabinet secretary to the Union government and was appointed as the election commissioner (EC) on December 12, 1990 with a tenure till December 11, 1996. He completed his six-year tenure and died on November 10, 2019. A five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Justice K M Joseph, said its endeavour is to put a system in place so that the "best man" is selected as the CEC. "There have been numerous CECs and T N Seshan happens once in a while. We do not want anyone to bulldoze him. Enormous power has been vested on the fragile shoulder of three men (two ECs and the CEC). We have to find the best man for the post of CEC. The question is how do we find that best man and how to appoint that best man," the bench, also comprising justices .

Ex-bureaucrat Arun Goel takes charge as new Election Commissioner of India

Welcoming Goel to Election Commission, Rajiv Kumar said his administrative experience will further strengthen the Commission's endeavours in making the electoral process more inclusive, participative

BJP asks govt, EC to note TMC MLA's statement on 'Bangladeshi' immigrants

The BJP leadership in Bengal on Friday urged the union home ministry and Election Commission to take cognizance of comments by a TMC MLA who allegedly asked party workers to ensure that only those 'Bangladeshi' immigrants in the state who support the ruling party, find a place in the voters' list. The BJP said such comments from an elected representative are detrimental to national security. A video of a West Bengal MLA allegedly asking TMC workers to ensure that only those Bangladeshi immigrants who support the ruling party in the state find a place in the voters' list, which is being circulated on social media has created a controversy in the state. The draft electoral roll revision is underway in the state and the rest of the country. In the purported video, Bardhaman Dakshin MLA Khokan Das is heard saying, "Many new people are coming...they are from Bangladesh. Many of these people vote for BJP based on Hindu sentiments. Please ensure that only those who support our party get

999 nomination forms out of 1,362 valid for 1st phase of Gujarat polls

A total of 999 nomination forms have been found valid out of the 1,362 forms filed for the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly polls in 89 seats, state election officials said on Wednesday. Tuesday was the last day for the scrutiny of nomination forms for the first phase of elections to be held on December 1. The Election Commission started accepting forms for the first phase on November 5 and the last date was November 14. After due scrutiny, 999 forms were held valid, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer said in a release. For the second phase of election to be held on December 5 in 93 seats, 341 nomination forms have been received so far since November 10 when the process began, it said. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who is contesting from Ghatlodia seat in Ahmedabad where voting will be held in the second phase, will file his nomination on Wednesday. The Assembly seats in Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Anand, Kheda, ..

Himachal Pradesh records 65.92% turnout till 5 pm: EC provisional data

Himachal Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 65.92 per cent till 5 pm on Saturday, the Election Commission said, citing provisional polling figures for the state where the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in an aggressive fight. Voting began at 8 am on a slow note but picked up as the day progressed and the sun warmed the winter chill. The assembly election is a crucial test for the BJP which is hoping to beat precedent and return to power while the Congress has urged voters to go by tradition of voting out the incumbent. Only around five per cent polling was recorded in the first hour, while till 11 am, it was 19.98 per cent. It notched up to 37.19 per cent by 1 pm and 55.65 per cent till 3 pm. Till 5 pm, a 65.92 per cent turnout was recorded, the Election Commission (EC) said. The highest polling of 72.35 per cent was recorded in Sirmour district followed by 68.48 per cent in Solan and 67.67 per cent in Una and 67.5 per cent in Lahaul and Spiti. The high-altitud

Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls: 55.65% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

Himachal Pradesh, where the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in an aggressive fight, recorded a voter turnout of 55.65 per cent in the first five hours of polling till 3 pm on Saturday, the Election Commission said. Voting began at 8 am on a slow note but picked up as the day progressed and the sun warmed the winter chill. The assembly election is a crucial test for the BJP which is hoping to beat precedent and return to power while the Congress has urged voters to go by tradition of voting out the incumbent. Only around five per cent polling was recorded in the first hour, while till 11 am, it was 19.98 per cent. It notched up to 37.19 percent by 1 pm and till 3 pm, the state recorded a 55.65 per cent turnout. The highest polling of 62.75 per cent was recorded in Lahaul and Spiti district, followed by 60.38 per cent in Sirmour and 58.9 per cent in Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur. The high-altitude district of Lahaul and Spiti had recorded

BJP subverting independence of Election Commission: Mehbooba Mufti

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday accused the BJP of subverting the Election Commission to an extent that it was no more an independent body. She alleged that the Election Commission has become "an extension" of the BJP. "It will do whatever the BJP tells it to do." "Election commission has been subverted to an extent that it is no more the independent body of which the country was proud. Our election commissioners were invited by other countries to seek expert advice on conducting elections," Mufti told reporters in Khiram area of Anantnag district. She said the Election Commission has failed to act against the BJP even though the ruling party has violated the laws. "In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP leadership campaigned for polls on religious basis. Muslims are being threatened openly but election commission remains a silent spectator," the PDP leader said. The former chief minister said election in Jammu and Kashmir will be held only when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) giv

17.98% voting recorded in Himachal polls till 11 am: Election Commission

Himachal Pradesh, where the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in an aggressive direct fight, recorded a voter turnout of 17.98 per cent in the first three hours till 11 am on Saturday, Election Commission said. The voting commenced on a tardy note and gradually picked up pace in a state where the BJP is eyeing history by repeating its government, while the Congress is urging voters to go by the tradition of voting out the incumbent government. The voting started on a slow note with only around 5 per cent polling recorded in the first hour. Till 11 am, the highest polling of 21.92 per cent was recorded in Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur. Sirmour district recorded 21.66 per cent polling, Solan 20.28 and Kinnaur 20 per cent, according to the EC. Lahaul and Spiti district recorded the lowest polling of 5 per cent in the first three hours. Top leaders, including Chief Minister Thakur, voted in Mandi along with his wife and daughters after offeri

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Now, notification for Rampur assembly bypoll to be issued on Nov 11: EC

The Election Commission has issued a revised schedule for the Rampur assembly bypoll and the notification for the electoral contest will be issued on Friday. The decision of the poll panel came after the additional sessions judge refused to grant a stay on the conviction of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mohammed Azam Khan. Polling will still be held on December 5 along with the second phase of Gujarat elections and other bypolls, including the one for Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat which fell vacant after the demise of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. The vacancy in Rampur assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh occurred on October 27 after the disqualification of Azam Khan following his conviction in a hate speech case. The commission had announced the schedule for Rampur by-election along with other vacancies in various states. According to the earlier schedule, the notification for the bypolls, including that in Rampur, was to be issued on Thursday. A writ petition in Mohammad Azam Khan V

Azam Khan disqualification: No bypoll notification till Nov 10, SC tells EC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission not to issue till November 10 the notification for the assembly bypoll in Rampur Sadar in Uttar Pradesh, which fell vacant following the disqualification of Samajwadi Party MLA Azam Khan after his conviction in a hate speech case. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud directed a special sessions court to hear and decide on Thursday itself the appeal of Khan seeking a stay on his conviction so that he survives disqualification as a lawmaker. The Supreme Court said the Election Commission can issue the notification for the bypoll on or after November 11 once the sessions court decides on Khan's plea. On October 27, Khan was convicted in the hate speech case and sent to three years in jail by a Rampur court. The MP-MLA court in Rampur also granted bail to the MLA in the 2019 case. On October 28, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat had announced the disqualification of Khan from the House.

Have sought copy from EC of guv's request for second opinion: Soren

Amid a deepening political crisis in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren Sunday said he has sought a copy from the Election Commission of Governor Ramesh Bais's request for a "second opinion" in a office-of-profit case through his counsel. The request comes in the wake of Bais saying on October 27 that he has sought a "second opinion" in the case and claiming that an "atom bomb could explode any time in Jharkhand", apparently indicating towards his pending decision in the matter. "I have sought a copy from EC of Governor Ramesh Bais's request for second opinion in office-of-profit case through my counsel," Soren told PTI. "The counsel has placed on my behalf that the EC will provide an opportunity for fair and effective hearing before giving any opinion pursuant to the second request made by the governor," he said. Following a petition by the BJP seeking Soren's disqualification from the Assembly in the office-of-profit case, the EC had sent its decision to the Jharkhand governo

EC gets tough on parties fielding candidates with criminal record

As per the rules, both the candidates as well as the political parties have to publish complete details about the criminal antecedents

EC mourns demise of first voter of independent India, Shyam Saran Negi

Negi, 106, died of natural causes at his residence in morning and will be cremated with full state honours later in the day.

Haryana's Adampur assembly in Hisar clocks 76.45% poll turnout: EC

A total turnout of 76.45 per cent was recorded in Haryana's Adampur Assembly segment in Hisar district where bypolls were held on Thursday. Till last reports came on Thursday, the poll percentage was 75.25 and officials had said the final figure may slightly increase once the entire data is compiled. On Friday, the Election Commission of India data showed that Adampur recorded a poll percentage of 76.45 percent. The outcome of the bypoll will decide if the Bhajan Lal family retains the family bastion of five decades. Bhavya Bishnoi, grandson of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, had entered the fray as a BJP candidate. Counting of votes will be taken up on November 6. The main parties which contested the polls were the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal, and Aam Aadmi Party. The bypoll was necessitated after former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal's younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi resigned as MLA and switched from the Congress to the BJP in August. Bhavya is Kuldeep's son. Forme

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BJP chief Nadda says party will form govt in Gujarat with big majority

BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday welcomed the announcement of the Gujarat assembly polls and claimed that his party will again form "double engine" government in the state with a big majority under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. In a tweet after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule, Nadda added that the BJP will work with commitment to fulfil people's aspirations in the next five years. Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Thursday. Of the total 182 assembly seats in Gujarat, voting for 89 seats will be held on December 1 and the remaining 93 seats on December 5, Kumar told a press conference that was also attended by Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey and senior officials from the poll authority. The BJP has won six consecutive assembly polls since 1995 with the Congress ...

Voters being paid to choose NOTA in Andheri East bypoll: Uddhav-led Sena

The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party on Tuesday alleged that voters were being paid to choose None Of The Above or NOTA option in the November 3 Andheri East Assembly byelection in the city. The campaigning for the byelection came to an end at 5 pm. The party has raised this issue with the Election Commission as well as the police, said its senior leader Anil Parab The election will have ramifications in the coming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election too as for the first time it will see the combined strength of Maha Vikas Aghadi allies (Thackeray-led Sena, NCP and Congress), Parab said. Some people are being paid money to choose NOTA," the former Maharashtra minister alleged. His party has video clips showing purported workers of the Republican Party of India (RPI) indulging in such acts, he said. The RPI (Athawale faction) is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction has fielded Rutuja Latke, the wife of ...