Election Commission

Why is ECI afraid of transparency, asks Cong after election rule tweak

The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Election Commission for tweaking an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage, asking why the poll panel was afraid of transparency. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the party would legally challenge amendment. "If there was ever a vindication of our assertions regarding the rapidly eroding integrity of the electoral process managed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in recent times, this is it," Ramesh said in a post on X. Sharing a December 20 notification, the Congress leader said, "This move of the ECI will be challenged legally right away." The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. Based on the recommendation of the poll panel, the Union law minist

EC reviews Delhi polls preparedness, meets leaders from political parties

The Election Commission held a meeting with representatives of political parties in central Delhi on Wednesday, in the run-up to the assembly polls here due early next year. BJP MP from New Delhi Bansuri Swaraj, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chaddha and party leader Jasmin Shah attended the meeting. An election commission official said the meeting lasted for around half an hour and covered several topics. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar also reviewed poll preparedness for the upcoming Delhi elections. In a post on X, the Election Commission mentioned, "CEC Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sandhu review poll preparedness for the upcoming Delhi Legislative Assembly elections. Meeting with enforcement agencies is currently underway. Earlier in the day, commission met representatives of the political parties." Sources earlier said the Election Commission will review on Wednesday the preparedness of its poll machinery in Delhi, where assembly elections are due early

2 from TDP, 1 from ally BJP file nominations for RS seats in Andhra Pradesh

They filed their nominations on Tuesday with Rajya Sabha Elections Returning Officer R Vanitha Rani at the Assembly building

Maha chief poll officer warns of action over EVM tampering allegations

Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer, S Chockalingam said this amid ongoing allegations from Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders about EVM malpractices during the recent Maharashtra assembly elections

Election Commission files complaint against man claiming to hack EVMs

Mumbai Cyber Police has lodged an FIR against a man who claimed he could hack EVMs by isolating machine frequency, Election Commission (EC) officials said. The complaint in the matter was lodged by the Maharashtra chief electoral officer (CEO), alleging that the claims made by the accused, Syed Shuja, were false, baseless and unsubstantiated, they said. The FIR was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the IT Act at Cyber Police Station, Dakshin Mumbai on November 30 "against the person in this video", the CEO said. The EC action came after some social media users shared a video in which a man is heard claiming that he could hack and tamper with electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the Maharashtra elections by isolating the machine's frequency. EC officials here identified the man as Syed Shuja. In 2019, the EC ordered filing of an FIR against Shuja for making similar claims. "In a similar incident involving false claims, an FIR was lodged on the direction of the

Cong accuses IPS Rashmi Shukla of poll code violation, demands EC action

The Congress on Monday demanded that the Election Commission take action against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla for allegedly violating the model code of conduct during the Maharashtra assembly elections by meeting Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Congress's chief spokesperson, Atul Londhe, claimed Shukla met Fadnavis, the state home minister, when the model code of conduct was in place. The IPS officer reportedly met Fadnavis at his official residence on the evening of November 23, the day votes were counted. Earlier this month, the Election Commission had directed the Maharashtra government to transfer DGP Rashmi Shukla with immediate effect following complaints from political parties, including the Congress. The poll body directed the Maharashtra chief secretary to hand over Shukla's charge to the next senior-most IPS officer in the cadre. Talking to reporters, Londhe said, "Rashmi Shukla met the state home minister when the model code of conduct was in place, which is a

BSP won't contest bypolls until EC prevents fake voting: Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday alleged irregularities in voting in the recent Uttar Pradesh bypolls and said her party will not contest by-elections in future, particularly in the state, "until Election Commission takes measures to prevent fake voting". By-elections to nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh were held on November 20 and results of it were declared on Saturday. Bahujan Samaj Party contested all nine seats but failed to win any. "In the bypolls held for nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, there is widespread discussion about the votes cast and the results announced yesterday. I am not saying this myself; it is a common perception among people that earlier, during elections conducted with ballot papers, fake votes were cast by misusing the system, often through fraud," Mayawati said in a press conference here. "Now, similar practices are being carried out using EVMs, which is a matter of deep sorrow and concern for democracy," the former UP chief minister said. Not only

Maharashtra Assembly polls see 66% voter turnout, up from 61.1% in 2019: EC

The turnout in Maharashtra assembly polls was 66 per cent as per EVM votes, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019, Election Commission officials said on Thursday. Polls to the 288-member state assembly were held on Wednesday, while votes will be counted on Saturday. "The official figures for each assembly constituency will depend on the count of postal ballots reported. The 66 per cent turnout figure refers specifically to the votes cast on electronic voting machines," the chief electoral officer said in a statement. The increase, excluding postal ballots, highlighted the EC's efforts to engage a broader electorate, the statement added. Kolhapur led with 76.63 per cent, followed by 75.26 per cent in Gadchiroli, which has some Left Wing Extremism affected pockets, while the lowest was in Mumbai island city at 52.07 per cent and 55.95 per cent in the metropolis' suburban district. More than 68,000 citizens aged over 85 and 12,000 individuals with disabilities cast their votes through home .

Maharashtra urban voters pour cold water on EC efforts to improve turnout

But Jharkhand reports 68% turnout in 38 seats that voted in Phase II, 1% rise compared to 2019

Assembly polls: Maharashtra logs 45% voter turnout, Jharkhand 61% by 3 pm

The counting of votes for Maharashtra Assembly elections and Phase I and Phase II of Jharkhand Assembly elections will be conducted on November 23

EC must check irregularities in inclusion of names in voters' list: Gadkari

Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday urged the Election Commission to address issues in the voter enrolment process, citing irregularities in the inclusion of names in the voters' list. The Maharashtra assembly polls were underway from 7 am on Wednesday. Gadkari cast his vote in Nagpur city located in the state's Vidarbha region. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Gadkari said, "Some names of the people who have passed away are still in the voters' list, while names of those who have filled the forms for enrolment are missing. The EC should take serious cognisance of this and review its methods for including names in the voter list." The current system was causing disappointment to many people, he said. "The system is not appropriate, and several people have expressed their disappointment to me. The EC must make the process leak-proof to ensure that all voters have their rightful opportunity to exercise their franchise," he said.

EC seeks BJP, Cong chiefs response on complaints filed against each other

In the wake of the BJP and the Congress lodging complaints against each other with the Election Commission (EC) for poll code violations, the election panel asked the presidents of the two parties on Saturday to comment on the charges levelled against their leaders. The EC wrote separate letters to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, asking them to comment on the complaint of the other. The commission exchanged the complaints between the two parties while seeking their responses. The EC has sought formal responses from both the party presidents by 1 pm on Monday (November 18), while reminding them of the commission's earlier advisory to them during the Lok Sabha election to keep star campaigners and leaders under check so that public decorum is not flouted and the model code is followed in its letter and spirit during campaigning. Top leaders of the two parties are campaigning in Jharkhand and Maharashtra for the ongoing Assembly

Sri Lanka President's party wins parliamentary majority. India impact

Sri Lanka's National People's Power, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has secured a parliamentary majority, as per official results announced by the country's elections commission

'Ensure level playing field': Congress to EC on Rahul's chopper delay

The Congress on Friday complained to the Election Commission against the alleged grounding of party leader Rahul Gandhi's helicopter in poll-bound Jharkhand and sought its urgent intervention in ensuring a level-playing field in poll campaigning. The Congress has alleged that Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's chopper was not allowed to take off due to restrictions leading to his public meetings getting either delayed or cancelled. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh wrote to the poll panel and asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's poll campaign cannot take precedence over that of others. "There should be a level-playing field in campaigning. The PM's campaign cannot take precedence over that of all others. Today Rahul Gandhi got delayed in Jharkhand on this account," Ramesh said in a post on X. In his complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner, the Congress leader sought his urgent intervention, saying a level playing field should b

Nearly 65% turnout recorded in first phase of Jharkhand Assembly polls

In Jharkhand, the average voter turnout for all 81 seats in 2019 was 65.18 per cent

Jharkhand Assembly elections Phase 1 highlights: 65% voter turnout in 43 seats till 5 pm

Jharkhand Assembly elections LIVE: Voters to decide if JMM stays in power or BJP-led NDA stages a comeback, catch all the LIVE updates here

Jharkhand polls: 46.25% turnout recorded in 43 Assembly seats till 1 pm

A voter turnout of 29.31 per cent was recorded in the first four hours of polling on Wednesday in 43 assembly constituencies in Jharkhand where voting is underway in the first phase, officials said. Polling began at 7 AM in these constituencies across 15 districts and will continue till 5 PM. A total of 683 candidates are trying their luck, including former CM Champai Soren and ex-MP Geeta Kora. Long queues of voters were seen outside several booths in the morning. Khunti district registered the highest voter turnout at 34.12 per cent, followed by 33.86 per cent in Gumla, 33.44 per cent in Lohardaga and 33.18 per cent in Simdega. Serailkeala-Kharsawan recorded 32.65 per cent voting, followed by 31.10 per cent in Koderma, 30.59 per cent in Latehar and 30.38 per cent in Garhwa. Hazaribag registered 29.60 per cent polling, Chatra 29.52 per cent, West Singhbhum 29.42 per cent, Palamu 29.36 per cent and East Sinbhum 28.34 per cent. Of the remaining districts, Ranchi recorded 24.75 pe

BJP's 'shadow campaigns' maligning image of Jharkhand: CM Hemant Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday accused the BJP of maligning his and the state's image through "shadow campaigns". He alleged that the saffron camp has been "spending crores of money on various social media platforms" and "created 95,000 Whatsapp groups" to campaign against the JMM-led coalition in the state. Hitting out at the saffron party, Soren claimed that "dictators may possess billions of rupees" but he believed it was "better to stick to principles rather than securing a win through unfair means". The allegations were made at a time when the polling was underway in 43 of the 81 assembly constituencies in the state in the first phase of elections. "I want to present an important report to you. Crores of rupees have been spent on Facebook advertisements by the BJP to damage my and the state's image through a 'shadow campaign'. "In the last 30 days, advertisements worth Rs 72 lakh have been given from various social media accounts like 'Jharkhand Chaupal',

Sri Lanka set for parliamentary polls on Nov 14, all arrangements in place

Sri Lanka is set to hold its parliamentary election on Thursday with all arrangements in place to ensure a fair and transparent process, a top election commission official has said. Voting will take place at over 13,314 polling stations across the country, from 7 am to 4 pm local time on Thursday. Director General of the Elections Commission Saman Sri Ratnayaka on Tuesday said that all ballot boxes and other equipment needed at the polling stations would be dispatched on Wednesday. The polling station officials will carry out rehearsals from 7 am on Wednesday," Ratnayaka said. Over 17 million voters from the island's 21 million population are eligible to vote. 225 members would be elected from voting based on proportional representation. The western province district of Gampaha would elect the highest number of Members of Parliament 19 with the capital district of Colombo from the same province having 18 MPs elected. The eastern province district of Trincomalee will elect the lo

Raut alleges huge money distribution ahead of Assembly polls, questions ECI

Taking a jibe at the ECI, Raut asked why only the vehicles and planes of opposition leaders are being checked