Chief Election Commissioner

CEC Rajiv Kumar said the elections have been scheduled on a Wednesday, and not on a Monday or Friday, to encourage greater participation of voters

Election Commission of India (ECI) gives 'Agnipariskha' every election despite having conducted 400 Assembly elections, 17 general elections, and 16 Presidential and Vice Presidential polls

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Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Thursday flagged "flawed" reports of some agencies and organisations, saying they cause more damage to the credibility of election management bodies as the pioneering work done by them finds no place in such surveys. Kumar urged the EMBs to come up with essential parameters and standards which should guide such surveys and rankings. He was addressing the 3rd International Conference on the theme 'Inclusive Elections and Elections Integrity' in a virtual format. The CEC along with fellow election commissioners were in Bengaluru where they also assessed the poll preparedness of poll-bound Karnataka. He lamented that countries with low inclusivity are ranked high. "The flawed report causes more damage to the credibility of EMBs," he added. The CEC urged the participating EMBs to come up with essential parameters and standards which should guide such surveys... countries with low inclusivity are ranked high ," the poll panel said in a ...

Law must establish Election Commission's independence

The govt may now come back with a modified version of the NJAC bill whereby the practice of judges appointing themselves is stopped

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

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hailed the Supreme Court decisions on Thursday on the appointment of election commissioners and matters involving the business empire of industrialist Gautam Adani as landmark orders. The apex court ruled on Thursday that the appointments of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners will be made by the president on the advise of a committee comprising the prime Minister, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the chief justice of India. In a separate matter, it ordered the setting up of a six-member committee headed by former top court judge AM Sapre to probe the recent share crash of the Adani Group triggered by short-seller Hindenburg Research's fraud allegations and other regulatory aspects related to the stock markets. "Truly landmark orders by Hon'ble SC on both EC and Adani issues. We welcome both the orders," Kejriwal said in a tweet. Earlier in the day, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), headed by Kejriwal, said the apex

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! .

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.

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

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

Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer V Shashank Shekhar on Wednesday called upon people to exercise their franchise in the upcoming assembly elections in the state. He also urged everyone to collectively endeavour to ensure that the entire election process takes place in a peaceful atmosphere, without any violence of any kind. Observing the 13th National Voters' Day, he said, We should always respect the valuable right to vote and never take it for granted. It is the responsibility of everyone, including those getting the right to vote for the first time, to exercise their franchise with utmost sincerity and also inspire others to do so, he said. The CEO hoped that first-time voters will experience the thrill and joy of being part of the democratic exercise. Elections to the 60-member assembly in the state will be held on February 27. The CEO said Nagaland has 13,17,632 voters. He said the Election Commission of India (ECI) is putting in considerable effort to ensure free and fair .

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday flagged threats from deep fake narratives to elections worldwide

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the inclusion of the Chief Justice of India in the consultative process for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner would ensure independence of the poll panel. The apex court was of the view that any ruling party at the Centre ''likes to perpetuate itself in power'' and can appoint a 'Yes Man' to the post under the current system. The court was hearing a batch of pleas seeking a collegium-like system for the appointment of Election Commissioners (ECs) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The Centre argued that a 1991 Act ensured the Election Commission remains independent in terms of salary and tenure to its members and there is no "trigger point'' which warrants interference from the court. It said that the mechanism adopted for appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is seniority among the election commissioners, who are appointed by convention from secretary or chief secretary level officers of the Centre and state level, ..

The Supreme Court on Wednesday orally observed that the need is for a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) who can even take action against the Prime Minister

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

Former bureaucrat Arun Goel was on Saturday appointed as Election Commissioner. A Punjab cadre officer of the 1985 batch, Girl will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in the poll panel. His appointment was announced by the government in a press statement. Sushil Chandra had retired as the chief election commissioner in May this year after which Rajiv Kumar took charge.

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