Page 3 - Election Commissioners

Seizures in five election states up 636% in 5 yrs; Telangana tops the list

The EC also released data on seizures that enforcement agencies made in the six assembly elections held since November 2022 but preceding the current round of polls

Rajasthan polls: Over 12,000 elderly, disabled voters to avail home voting

A total of 62,927 voters in the state applied for the home voting facility, which will be carried out till November 19

Rs 63 cr worth drugs, liquor, cash seized after MCC enforced in Rajasthan

Drugs, liquor, gold and cash worth more than Rs 63 crore have been seized in since the state election's model code of conduct (MCC) came into force in Rajasthan

Former chief election commissioner MS Gill dies after brief illness

Former chief election commissioner Manohar Singh Gill died at a south Delhi hospital on Sunday after a brief illness, according to people close to him. He was 86. Gill will be cremated here on Monday, they said. A former bureaucrat, Gill served under Parkash Singh Badal as a young officer when the Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch was the Punjab chief minister. He served as the chief election commissioner (CEC) between December 1996 and June 2001. Gill and GVG Krishnamurty were made members of the Election Commission when TN Seshan was heading the poll panel. It was then that the poll panel became a multi-member body, a former government functionary said. He is perhaps the first former CEC to have joined politics. Gill entered the Rajya Sabha as a Congress member and was made the Union sports minister in 2008. Gill is survived by his wife and three daughters. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge condoled Gill's demise and lauded his contribution to the development of the nation. "Extr

Freebies announced by political parties have 'tadka' of populism: CEC Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday said the freebies announced by political parties and state governments have a 'tadka' of populism and it is difficult for those who win polls to either implement these sops or stop this practice. Responding to a question on freebies announced by various parties and government ahead of elections, he said while it is the domain of the state governments, they do not remember such sops for five years but announce them just a month or a fortnight before the poll schedule is announced. Kumar made these remarks at a press conference convened here to announce the schedule of elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telengana and Mizoram. He said the matter was at present sub-judice and the poll panel will act as soon as clarity and decision is available on this. He recalled that the EC had recently brought out a proforma for parties and states to explain how and when the promises made by them in their poll manifesto will be ...

Telangana has 31.7 million eligible voters, 5.8% increase in electors

Telangana has a total of 3,17,17,389 voters, out of whom 1,58,71,493 are men and 1,58,43,339 women, while 2,557 belong to the third gender. An official release issued by the Chief Electoral Officer said the final electoral rolls have been published in all 119 assembly constituencies after the completion of the second special summary revision of voters, and that there is a net 5.8 per cent increase in the number of electors since January 2023. Telangana is gearing up to go for assembly polls in November-December. A 17-member delegation headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar already reached here on Tuesday as part of its three-day visit to assess the state's poll preparedness. During the visit, the team would also engage in a crucial meeting with the state's chief secretary and the the director-general of police to align their efforts with the state administration and security agencies, an official release had earlier said.

Special session of Parliament to begin today: Here is all you need to know

Parliament special session: On August 31, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi announced that a special session will be held from September 18 to 22

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

Govt lists bill in Rajya Sabha to regulate appointment of CEC, ECs

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 Term of Office) Bill also seeks to set up a procedure for transaction of business by the Election Commission. Though the contents of the Bill were not immediately available, the Supreme Court had in March delivered a landmark verdict aimed at insulating the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners from the Executive's interference. It had ruled that their appointments will be done by the President on the advise of a committee comprising the prime minister, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph, in a unanimous verdict, held that this norm will continue to ho

EC against Parl panel's advice to lower age to contest Assembly polls to 18

The EC said it had studied the issue and found that it is unrealistic to expect 18-year-olds to possess the necessary experience and maturity to be public representatives

Panel of PM, CJI and Opposition leaders to pick poll commissioners: SC

The bench noted that several political parties had come to power but none framed a law/process for appointments to the ECI

Supreme Court ruling will play key role in free and fair elections: Oppn

Opposition parties on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling on the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners, saying the landmark judgment would pave the way for free and fair elections in the country. The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners will be done by the President on the advise of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. "Welcoming the historic Supreme Court verdict on Election Commission. Insulating EC from Government influence & dependence will secure the integrity of the electoral process. A truly Independent EC alone can fulfill the Constitutional mandate of conducting free and fair elections," Congress leader Anand Sharma said on Twitter. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the verdict is a victory of democracy. "Supreme Court's landmark order is a democratic victory! .

Derek O'Brien applauds SC judgement on the appointments of the CEC and ECs

The "Extremely Compromised EC" can now become "Extremely Competent EC", TMC MP Derek O'Brien said on Thursday, reacting to a Supreme Court ruling on the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners. The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners will be done by the President on the advise of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. "HUGE. So Extremely Comprised (EC) can again strive to become Extremely Competent (EC)," O'Brien said in a tweet. A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice KM Joseph, also made an appeal to the Parliament and the Union of India to constitute a separate and independent secretariat for dealing with the expenditure of the Election Commission of India to cut it from any financial obligation to the government.

CEC, ECs to be appointed by Prez on advice of PM, Opposition leader, CJI

A Constitution Bench comprising Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy, and CT Ravikumar said this practice will continue until a law in this regard is made by the Parliament

Election commissioners to be appointed by PM, opposition leader, CJI: SC

Justice KM Joseph, while reading the judgement, said that this will be followed until the Parliament comes up with a law in this regard

55-56 cr voters linked Aadhaar details with electoral rolls: EC officials

Nearly 56 crore of the approximately 95 crore registered voters have linked their Aadhaar details with the electoral rolls, an exercise the government and the Election Commission believe would weed out duplicate entries from the voters list. EC officials said between 55 and 56 crore voters have shared their Aadhaar details with poll authorities for linkage with the electoral roll. The Representation of the People Act was amended in December last year to pave way for voluntary linkage of Aadhaar and voter list details. Subsequently, later this year, the Union Law Ministry had issued rules to bring into force the changes carried out in the electoral law. According to a law ministry notification, using the newly-introduced Form-6B, existing voters may share their Aadhaar number will poll authorities. "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (5) of Section 23 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (43 of 1950), the Central Government hereby notifies the 1st April, 20

Guj poll result HIGHLIGHTS: Massive victory for BJP, Patel to be CM again

Gujarat election result 2022: Exit polls have predicted a landslide win for the ruling BJP, while AAP could see a 'positive sign'. Stay tuned for Gujarat Assembly election result LIVE updates