Election Commission

TMC 211 Rejects that EVMs used in K'taka were deployed in South Africa

EC rejected Cong's claim that electronic voting machines used in polls were previously deployed in South Africa and asked the party to "publicly expose" the sources that spread such false information

UP urban local bodies polls on May 4 and 11, vote counting on May 13

As per the State Election Commissioner, the total number of urban voters has risen to 4,32,31,827 from 3,35,95,547 in 2017 after final publication of the voter list

Pak's election commission announces Punjab poll on May 14 as directed by SC

Pakistan's election watchdog on Wednesday announced that it will hold the polls in the politically crucial Punjab province on May 14 as directed by the Supreme Court a day earlier. A three-member bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday fixed May 14 as the new date for elections to the Punjab Assembly, as it quashed the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to extend the polls date from April 10 to October 8. As per the schedule announced by the election commission on Wednesday, polling for elections in Punjab will be held on May 14. The last date for filing an appeal against the decision of the Returning Officer regarding the nomination papers will be April 10. "The ECP hereby recalls its notification of even number dated March 22, 2023 and in partial modification to this commission's notification of March 8, 2023 hereby revises the following stages of the election programme for the conduct of general elections to the provincial assembly o

Elections in Shimla Municipal Corporation on May 2, results on May 4

Elections in 34 wards of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) will be held on May 2 and the results will be declared on May 4, as per the Himachal Pradesh state election commission. According to the schedule released by the commission, filing of nominations will take place on April 13, 17 and 18 between 11 am and 3 pm, and scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on April 19. About 87,000 voters will be able to exercise their franchise in the polls, it said. The last date of withdrawal of nomination is April 21 and the symbols would be allotted on the same day. The elections would be held on May 2 and results would be declared on May 4. The Himachal Pradesh government had on Saturday notified reserved wards for women and Scheduled Castes for the 34-ward Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC). Only 14 wards are unreserved while three are reserved for Scheduled caste. The BJP had wrested the SMC from the Congress after 32 years in 2017 and later, the BJP government increased the

Draft bills in simple language to allow layman understand them: Par panel

Bills should be drafted in a language which helps a layman understand them and reasons for bringing the proposed legislation, a Parliamentary panel has recommended. The department-related parliamentary standing committee on law and personnel also said that currently all the bills that are being drafted by the Legislative Department in the Union Law Ministry can be understood either by the intelligentsia of the country or the people having legal acumen or knowledge. "For a layman to understand the bills which are presented to Parliament is very difficult. The Committee, therefore, would like to recommend that the bills should be drafted in such a simple language so that even a common man can also understand about the proposed objective and implications of the bill like the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 and Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022 recently brought by the government," the committee chaired by BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi said. "The key mandate of the Legislative ..

K'taka: Cong, BJP lodge complaint against each other about code violation

The BJP and Congress have lodged complaints against each other with the Election Commission about Model Code of Conduct violations. While the Congress alleged that cookers and other inducement materials were found at Byatarayanapura in Bengaluru, the BJP charged that former chief minister Siddaramaiah distributed cash in Varuna in Mysuru. In his complaint, Congress candidate and former minister Krishna Byre Gowda alleged that about six days ago GST officers raided a premise and seized the inducement material worth Rs 3.6 crore. The BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy lodged the complaint on Wednesday in which he alleged that Siddaramaiah went to his constituency and distributed money. Meanwhile, Congress state president D K Shivakumar landed in trouble for allegedly throwing cash among people during an election campaign in Mandya on Tuesday. The police registered a non-cognisable offence against him. Assembly elections in Karnataka would be held on May 10.

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Karnataka Assembly elections to be held on May 10, results on May 13

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

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Bypolls to 1 Lok Sabha, 4 assembly seats on May 10: Election commission

Bypolls to one Lok Sabha and four assembly seats across four states will be held on May 10 along with the Karnataka assembly polls, the Election Commission announced on Wednesday. The counting of votes will take place on May 13, it said. The Jalandhar parliamentary constituency fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, 76, in January this year following a heart attack while taking part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The poll panel also announced a bypoll to the Jharsuguda assembly seat in Odisha which was necessitated by the death of Naba Kisore Das, who was shot dead by a police officer in January this year. Bypoll to the Suar assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh was necessitated following the disqualification upon conviction of Samajwadi Party MLA Abdullah Azam Khan. He was convicted in a 2008 case relating to a 'dharna' on a highway and sentenced to two years in jail. He is son of SP veteran Mohd Azam Khan, who also stands disqualified in another case. Chhan

Election Commission to announce Karnataka Assembly elections schedule today

The Election Commission of India will announce the schedule of the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka slated this year at 11

SC order on EC appointments being examined, will take apt action: Govt

The government is examining the Supreme Court's verdict on the appointment of chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners and it will take "appropriate action" on it, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Supreme Court in its judgment of March 2 held that until Parliament makes a law in consonance with Article 342(2) of the Constitution, the appointment of the CEC and election commissioners will be made on the recommendations made by a three-member committee comprising the prime minister, chief justice of India and leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, and in case no LoP is available then the leader of the single largest opposition party in LS. "The judgement of Supreme Court is being examined by the government and appropriate action will be taken," he said. Rijiju pointed out that the Election Commission is a permanent constitutional body established in accordance with Article 324(1) of the Constitution of .

Election Commission of Pakistan postpones Punjab by-elections till Oct 8

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday postponed the Punjab by-elections till October 8. The elections were earlier scheduled to be held on April 30, Pakistan-based ARY News reported

EC proposal for overseas voters to use e-postal ballot under talks with MEA

An Election Commission proposal to facilitate electronically-transmitted postal ballot system for overseas Indian voters is under discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs to "iron out" logistical challenges involved in its implementation, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also said the total number of overseas electors as on January 1 this year stands at over 1.15 lakh. "The Election Commission of India has taken up a proposal to amend the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 to facilitate electronically-transmitted postal ballot system for overseas electors. The matter is under discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs to iron out the logistical challenges involved in the implementation of the proposal," Rijiju said. According to the EC website, as of now an overseas voter is not issued a photo identity card they are allowed to vote in person at the polling station by producing their original passport. The EC has ...

Recognition of CM Eknath Shinde-led faction well reasoned: EC tells SC

The Election Commission of India has told the Supreme Court it passed a "well reasoned" order recognising Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and allotting to it the original 'bow and arrow' symbol in its quasi-judicial capacity. The poll panel said it has become a functus officio (a body which has discharged its duty) in the case after the passing of the order. In its affidavit filed on a plea by Uddhav Thackeray challenging its order dated February 17, the Commission said, "It is stated that the answering respondent (EC) had passed the impugned order..in exercise of its quasi-judicial powers provided under paragraph of the Election Symblos (Reservation and Allotment) order, 1968." The poll panel said the apex court in a catena of cases had held where an order passed by a quasi-judicial body is under challenge before an appellate court, such a body need not be arrayed as a party to the appeal. "The answering respondent humbly submits that sin

Passed 'well-reasoned order', EC tells SC on Shiv Sena symbol row

The Election Commission has told the SC it has passed a "well-reasoned" order, in a quasi-judicial capacity, allotting the name and party symbol of the Shiv Sena to Eknath Shinde faction

ECI chief Rajiv Kumar says it gives 'Agnipariksha' in every election

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

Election Commission brings Vote From Home option for voters above 80 yrs

The Election Commission on Saturday said it has introduced the facility to Vote-from-Home (VFH) for people above 80 years of age and those with disabilities in the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka. For the first time the ECI is going to provide the facility to those above 80 years of age. Our teams will go there with a form-12D to exercise their franchise, the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar told reporters here. Though we encourage those above 80 years to come to the polling station, those who cannot can avail this facility, he added. Secrecy will be maintained and the entire process will be videographed, Kumar explained. "All the political parties will be informed whenever there is a movement for Voting From Home (VFH)," Kumar said. For people with disabilities, a mobile application 'Saksham' has been introduced, which they can login to and choose the facility to vote, the CEC said. Another mobile application, 'Suvidha' has been developed, which is an online ...

Flawed reports causes harm to credibility of poll management bodies: Kumar

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 ...

A more independent Election Commission

The Supreme Court's judgment on appointments is not a case of judicial overreach, but is intended to protect the fundamental rights of citizens