'Their functioning is flawed, they are not accountable, they are opaque, they are non-transparent, they have lost credibility.'
Glimpses of the INDIA bloc's protest march from Parliament House to Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission headquarters, in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
The Centre has announced a major bureaucratic reshuffle, appointing Prakash Rajpurohit as Deputy Election Commissioner and approving appointments for 27 civil servants at joint secretary and equivalent levels across various ministries and departments.
'The incumbent matters. It matters a lot. If a person sitting on top is good, then he can achieve a lot. And if he is bad, you see what can happen.'
The Election Commission has ordered a repoll in all 285 polling booths of the Falta assembly constituency in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on May 21 due to electoral offences.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has questioned the credibility of the West Bengal assembly polls, accusing the Election Commission of partisan conduct and alleging large-scale irregularities during the elections.
'The current Election Commission functions more like a government department than an autonomous body.'
Ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has withdrawn his candidature from the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Athletes' Commission polls, leaving 10 contestants for nine positions. Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Mirabai Chanu are prominent candidates in the virtual elections scheduled for Tuesday. The commission's rules mandate specific representation for medallists and Olympians, with Manjeet Singh already elected unopposed.
The Election Commission (EC) has suspended a Block Development Officer (BDO) in West Bengal's Nadia district and initiated departmental proceedings against him following violence at a poll training venue where a teacher was allegedly assaulted for objecting to a government advertisement.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has expressed serious concerns regarding the deployment of police personnel to provide security to individuals allegedly connected to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal ahead of the elections, directing the Director General of Police (DGP) to conduct a review and ensure impartiality.
The Indian Olympic Association has released a Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming Athletes' Commission and Sportspersons of Merit elections. The code prohibits criticism of private lives, bans all forms of publicity including social media, and mandates neutrality from IOA and NSF office-bearers, aiming for fair and ethical campaigning.
The nomination papers of all 12 candidates, including Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Mirabai Chanu, for the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Athletes Commission election were found valid on Thursday after scrutiny. The election for 10 members of the commission for the 20262030 term is scheduled for November 3.
Political parties in West Bengal react to the Election Commission's reshuffle of senior administrative and police officials ahead of upcoming elections, with TMC criticising the move and BJP and CPI(M) welcoming it.
Kerala Police have registered a case against social media platform X and one of its handles for circulating an AI-generated video allegedly depicting the Prime Minister and the Election Commission of India in a misleading and defamatory manner.
The Election Commission has requested a detailed report from Kolkata Police regarding the alleged attack on Trinamool Congress leader Shashi Panja's residence before a rally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initial police report was deemed incomplete, prompting the EC to seek further clarity on the incident, police response, and utilisation of central forces.
Two-time Olympic-medallist PV Sindhu has been named chairperson of the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Athletes' Commission, with Indian men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh as vice-chairperson. Star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and swimmer Sajan Prakash were elected as athlete representatives to the IOA General Body. All appointments were unopposed, meaning no elections were held for these posts. These athletes will serve a four-year tenure from 2026-2030 and will be part of the IOA's executive council.
Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Mirabai Chanu, along with eight other prominent sportspersons, have been elected unopposed to the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Athletes' Commission. The election process saw withdrawals from other candidates, leading to 10 individuals filling the 10 available seats. The newly formed commission will play a crucial role in the IOA's Executive Council and General Body, with further elections scheduled for chairperson and vice chairperson posts.
The Election Commission has extended Model Code of Conduct restrictions to retired government officials and individuals re-employed by state governments, prohibiting them from participating in election campaigns or interacting with election officials during poll periods, following complaints of misuse of official position.
'To attribute motives to the individual election commissioner or the Election Commission as a group is very unfair.'
Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Mirabai Chanu are among 12 prominent sportspersons vying for a spot on the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Athletes Commission. The elections, scheduled for November 3, will select 10 members for the 2026-2030 term. The article also details the electoral process, eligibility criteria, and mentions the upcoming election for eight Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs).
The Supreme Court has instructed the Election Commission to probe allegations of irregularities, specifically concerning bulk Form 7 applications, during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh. The court's directive came after petitioners raised concerns about the deletion of voters' names, with the EC acknowledging bulk submissions but stating they were not acted upon due to being false.
Activists Prashant Bhushan, Anjali Bharadwaj, Yogendra Yadav, and Neha Bora have raised serious questions about the Election Commission's decision-making process for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They allege contradictions in the EC's statements, lack of transparency regarding decisions, concerns over centralisation of the electoral database, and unauthorised changes to Form 6, calling for greater accountability and disclosure of records.
'One of the principles of the MCC that you should not make hate speeches and create hatred between communities on the basis of religion was violated on a scale that was never seen before.' 'Religious symbols were very liberally used and speeches were made to polarise people on the basis of religion.'
Abhijeet Dipke has issued a strong call to Indian opposition parties, urging them to boycott elections if they genuinely believe the electoral process is rigged, arguing that their continued participation only legitimises alleged unfairness.
'They refuse to be transparent. They refuse to be accountable.'
The Election Commission has directed five states - Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand - to transfer officers involved in election work ahead of the 2027 assembly polls. This move, a standard practice for fair elections, targets officers in their home districts or those completing three years in a district by May 2027, covering various administrative and police roles.
The Supreme Court clarified on Wednesday that it has not yet made a final ruling on the legality of the Election Commission's "logical discrepancy" category used for scrutinising voter details during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The court noted that its previous permission for this exercise in West Bengal was only an interim arrangement and its Bihar SIR decision was not a final determination of all related issues.
Top Indian athletes like PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Neeru Dhanda, and Harmanpreet Singh have been nominated by their respective National Sports Federations to the electoral college for the Indian Olympic Association's Athletes Commission polls on November 3. The article details the nomination process, eligibility criteria, and the composition of the new Athletes Commission, noting the absence of some federations and the exclusion of outgoing members like Mary Kom.
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Election Commission regarding a plea by TMC MP Dola Sen, who alleges unauthorised changes to Form 6 during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Sen claims the EC wrongly suggested the Supreme Court approved these changes. The EC, in its affidavit, defended the SIR process, stating no changes were made to the statutory Form 6 and that all decisions were unanimous. The court has given petitioners 10 days to respond to the EC's affidavit.
'If you ask Prime Minister Modi prove you are Indian, as per the Election Commission's criteria, he may not be able to prove that he is an Indian.'
The Cabinet Secretariat declined to act on complaints from two Election Commissioners regarding a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner's conduct, citing that the communications were in an "individual capacity" and not an official stance from the Election Commission as a whole. This decision was based on concerns about potential interference in the constitutional body's functioning.
The Election Commission has revised the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Nagaland, and Delhi, extending deadlines for claims, objections, and final publication dates following requests from chief electoral officers.
Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh, and Yogeshwar Dutt, along with Kamlesh Mehta, were elected unopposed as male Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs) for the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) ahead of its December 5 polls. This occurred after eight former athletes withdrew their candidatures. Elections for female SOMs will still proceed as six candidates remain in the fray.
Uttar Pradesh Police has initiated the process to add Section 198 of the BNS to an FIR against two electoral registration officers and a computer operator in Pilibhit. This action follows alleged irregularities in the voter list of the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency, where an inquiry revealed missing application forms and identical EPIC numbers for different voters. The Election Commission had earlier suspended the officers and directed the addition of the BNS section.
The Election Commission has suspended two electoral registration officers (EROs) in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, for alleged irregularities in the electoral roll. The EC also directed the addition of a penal provision to an existing FIR against them and a computer operator. This action follows complaints from opposition parties about large-scale manipulation and an inquiry revealing misuse of login IDs for voter detail changes without proper documentation.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced the electoral college for its executive council elections on December 5. Thirty National Sports Federations (NSFs) will nominate two representatives each, forming a significant portion of the 71 total voters. Notably, the national governing body for boxing, along with the Table Tennis Federation of India and the Indian Golf Union, have been excluded from participating in the polls. The notification also outlines the eligibility criteria for the nominated representatives.
The Election Commission on Monday defended its decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the Supreme Court, saying the exercise was undertaken in accordance with the law and the three orders on its roll-out were approved unanimously by the Commission's three members.
The Election Commission has provided a fresh opportunity for voters in seven states marked as Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate (ASDD) to be included in the final electoral rolls. This decision comes amidst allegations of disenfranchisement and aims to facilitate the inclusion of electors whose enumeration forms were not returned during the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
'Nobody, even the government, cannot compel Gyanesh Kumar to resign. He can only be removed through a constitutionally laid down process of impeachment. If he does get impeached, there will be political fallout on Mr Modi's government.'
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear petitions challenging Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Act, 2023. This provision grants blanket immunity from civil and criminal prosecution to current and former CECs and ECs for actions taken in their official capacity. Petitioners argue this immunity is unconstitutional and broader than that afforded to other high-ranking officials, potentially undermining accountability.
