Page 3 - Voting

In a first, Bihar to launch voting by mobile phones in June municipal polls

To be able to use the new facility, voters need to first download the SECBHR app and link it to their mobile number listed in the electoral rolls

EC launches new system for faster, accurate voter turnout reporting

he Election Commission of India has introduced ECINET, a digital app that enables real-time voter turnout reporting, ensuring quick updates at the constituency level on polling days across India

Black smoke at the Vatican: What do the Papal voting colours mean?

Black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel, signalling no pope has been elected yet as the conclave began its first round of voting to choose Pope Francis' successor

Romanians vote in presidential redo after voided election triggered crisis

Romanians are casting ballots Sunday in a critical presidential election redo after last year's annulled vote plunged the European Union and NATO member country into its worst political crisis in decades. Eleven candidates are vying for the presidency and a May 18 runoff is expected. Polls opened at 7 am (0400 GMT) and will close at 9 pm. Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday. Romania's political landscape was shaken last year when a top court voided the previous election in which the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped first-round, following allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference, which Moscow has denied. Like many countries in the EU, anti-establishment sentiment is running high in Romania, fueled by high inflation and cost of living, a large budget deficit and a sluggish economy. Observers say the malaise has bolstered support for nationalist and far-right figures like Georgescu, who is under investigation and barred from the rerun. Whi

EC building unified digital platform to integrate 40 mobile, web apps

The Election Commission is developing a new digital interface for voters, poll officials and political parties which will integrate over 40 of its existing mobile and web applications. ECINET will provide a singular platform for all electoral-related activities, the poll panel said on Sunday. The new platform will reduce the burden of users from downloading and navigating multiple Apps and remembering different logins. The platform was proposed by the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a recent conference of chief electoral officers. ECINET will also enable users to access relevant electoral data on their desktops or smartphones. To ensure that data is as accurate as possible, the data on ECINET will be entered solely by the authorised EC official. Entry by the official concerned would ensure that the data made available to the stakeholders is as accurate as possible. However, in case of any conflict, the primary data as duly filled in statutory forms will prevail, t

Re-elected Australian PM Albanese says voters chose unity over division

Australia's re-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday was greeted by well-wishers at a Sydney cafe and said the country had voted for unity over division. Albanese's center-left Labor Party won an emphatic victory in elections on Saturday. As vote counting continued, the government was on track to win at least 85 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties need a majority to form an administration. Labor held 78 seats in the previous Parliament, and gaining seats in a second term is rare in Australian politics. The Australian people voted for unity rather than division, Albanese told reporters in the crowded caf in the inner-suburban Leichhardt where he and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, gathered with colleagues and supporters for coffee. We'll be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we have been in our first, he added. He noted that he had frequented the cafe as a child with his late mother, Marryanne Albanese,

Aadhaar sharing for voters to remain voluntary; no legal changes planned

As the Election Commission works to purify electoral rolls of duplicate entries, sources in the government asserted on Tuesday that Aadhaar sharing by voters on a voluntary basis as prescribed in the law will remain unaltered. They underlined that sharing Aadhaar details with poll authorities is voluntary under the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 and it will continue to remain so. The sources also noted that there is no plan to tweak the law or related rules in this regard. They were responding to questions on whether there was a proposal to make Aadhaar sharing compulsory as also whether voters who don't share details will have to explain before poll authorities the reasons for not giving out details. They said the ground rules will remain unaltered and no provision is proposed to be added as of now. Amid a debate on the purity of electoral rolls, the Election Commission had said last month that the regular updating process of the voter list will be strengthened in close ...

Why Trump lauded India's voting system in his US elections overhaul order

Donald Trump praises India's biometric voter ID system as the US moves to tighten election rules, mandating citizenship proof for voter registration

EC, UIDAI experts to soon begin consultations on Aadhaar-voter card seeding

While voting rights can only be granted to a citizen of India, according to Article 326 of the Constitution, Aadhaar only establishes a person's identity

International Women's Day: Centre, states unveil women-focused schemes

The Delhi government is slated to flag off Mahila Samriddhi Yojana while the Maharashtra Assembly will hold a day long special discussion on women's issues on Saturday to mark IWD

Duplication of voter card numbers does not indicate fake voters: EC

Amid reports flagging issuance of identical voter card numbers to electors in two different states, the Election Commission on Sunday said duplicate numbers do not necessarily imply fake voters. It also said that while elector photo identity card (EPIC) numbers of some of the voters "may be identical", the other details including demographic details, assembly constituency and polling booth are different. "Irrespective of the EPIC number, any elector can cast a vote only at their designated polling station in their respective constituency in their state or union territory where they are enrolled in the electoral roll and nowhere else," the poll panel said. It explained that identical EPIC numbers or series were allotted to some electors from different states and union territories due to a "decentralised and manual mechanism" being followed prior to shifting of the electoral roll database of all states to the ERONET platform. This resulted in certain state chief electoral officers us

USAID funded 7 projects worth $750 mn in India in FY24: FinMin report

Amid a raging political controversy over USAID's alleged role in influencing Indian elections, the latest annual report of the finance ministry has disclosed that the agency funded seven projects worth USD 750 million in 2023-24. "Currently, seven projects worth a total budget of USD 750 million (approx.) are being implemented by USAID in partnership with Government of India," as per the Finance Ministry annual report for 2023-24. For the financial year 2023-24, an obligation of a total of USD 97 million (about Rs 825 crore) has been made by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the seven projects, it said. The Department of Economic Affairs under the Finance Ministry which is the nodal department for bilateral funding arrangements has also shared the details of projects funded in 2023-24 in the report. During the year, no funding was made for enhancing voter turnout but to projects related to agriculture & food security programme; water, sanitation and hygiene

AAP vs EC on Form 17C: Kejriwal launches website for 'voting transparency'

AAP and election commission clash over Form 17C transparency on election eve. What is Form 17C

Delhi Assembly Election Highlights: Voting concludes; 57.7% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

Delhi Assembly elections 2025 voting updates: Polling day concluded with an unimpressive voter turnout. Results will be declared on Feb 8

Delhi Assembly elections 2025: 57.7% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

Delhi Assembly elections 2025: Mustafabad reported the highest voter participation at 66.68%, whereas Karol Bagh saw the lowest at 47.40%

Delhi polls: 46.55% voter turnout till 3 pm, Mustafabad records max 56.12%

A voter turnout of 46.55 per cent was recorded till 3 pm on Wednesday in Delhi, where polling is underway for its 70 assembly constituencies. Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. According to Election Commission (EC) data, 46.55 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 3 pm. There are around 1.56 crore eligible voters in Delhi. The highest turnout was recorded in the Northeast district at 52.73 per cent while the New Delhi district recorded the lowest at 43.10 per cent. Among the constituencies, Mustafabad had the highest turnout at 56.12 per cent while Karol Bagh recorded the lowest at 39.05 per cent. Central Delhi district recorded a turnout of 43.45 per cent, East Delhi 47.09 per cent, North Delhi 46.31 per cent, Northwest Delhi 46.81 per cent, Shahdara 49.58 per cent, South Delhi 44.89 per cent, Southeast Delhi 43.91 per cent, Southwest Delhi 48.32 per cent, and West Delhi 45.06 per cent, according to the EC data. Polling is underway at 13,766

2 Delhi CM office staff held with ₹5 lakh cash ahead of Assembly polls

Delhi Assembly elections: The voting for 70 Assembly constituencies started at 7 am on Wednesday, and the polling results will be declared on February 8

To boost voter turnout, Delhi shops, salons to offer special discounts

With the Delhi Assembly elections just a day away, the Chamber of Trades and Industries (CTI) has announced that salons and beauty parlours across the city will offer discounts ranging from 20 to 50 per cent to people who cast their vote. Apart from salons, various businesses, including shops, restaurants, hotels, malls, coffee shops, and dhabas, will also offer discounts between 10 per cent and 50 per cent to customers who vote. In a statement on Tuesday, CTI stated that around 500 salons and beauty parlours will provide these discounts on February 6, the day after voting. "The initiative aims to boost voter turnout in Delhi, where elections for 70 assembly seats are scheduled for February 5," it added. CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal emphasised that this effort is meant to ensure a high voting percentage. "This initiative will encourage more people to cast their vote on February 5 and the voting percentage will increase," said Goyal. He said that more than 500 salon owners and makeup

Delhi elections 2025: How to search and download voter slip on mobile phone

The voter information slip (VIS), commonly known as the voter slip, contains information about an eligible voter, including their name, age, gender, assembly constituency, and polling station details

Most Gen Z voters in Delhi aware of candidates, rely on social media: Study

Most GenZ voters in Delhi are aware of candidates in their constituencies, and women safety, unemployment and pollution are the main pressing issues for them, a study has found. Around 74 per cent of respondents believe that freebies matter and influence votes around the elections, according to the study that was conducted to find how Delhi's youth engages with democracy. "Seven in 10 GenZers turn up to vote consistently, with 71 per cent having participated in past elections. 88 per cent are aware of the candidates from their constituency," the study report said, adding that Delhi's young voters, aged 18-26 years, are aware, active and engaged around state polls. The study, GenZer'sTryst with Polls, revealed that Women Safety (85 per cent) in the city is a top priority, followed by Unemployment (60 per cent) and Pollution (56 per cent) among poll issues for GenZ voters. Around 44 per cent consider Delhi's Law and Order to be poor. Around 35 per cent of them consider social media a