In a curious case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing, the Law Ministry has released the letter written by former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami to the President seeking removal of fellow Election Commissioner Navin Chawla while the Rashtrapati Bhawan had declined to make the document public.
"For the Lok Sabha elections, we are making meticulous planning on all fronts including electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT)," he said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will on Thursday review contingency plans for this year's men's Twenty20 World Cup in Australia and discuss ways to re-start the sport once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, the governing body said on Monday. The global health crisis, which has forced travel and other restrictions in several countries, has halted professional cricket and jeopardises Twenty20 cricket's flagship event scheduled to begin on October 18 in Geelong.
The Indian CEC has observed that the US electoral system lacks uniformity of the Indian one.
'When candidates get elected from smaller parties at the time of government formation, these parties dictate terms in extending support,' he said.
Team India coach Ravi Shastri will come out with a book this summer where he will walk down the memory lane
Against the backdrop of the recent controversy between the Election Commission and the Law ministry over the latter claiming control over it, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Monday made it clear that this cannot happen as EC is a Constitutionally independent body.
Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Thursday called for a "complete check" on the menace of paid news during polls and emphasised on keeping a track on the expenditure record of candidates.
Asked about the timing of his move against Chwala, CEC Gopalaswami said, "This argument regarding timing is unfair. I was dictated by circumstances. It was not a deliberate decision. I had to wait till the Karnataka elections get over. He (Chawla) took five months to reply to me. For one month he went on leave. I have taken only one and a half months to prepare my opinion once I got his (Chawla's) response (to the charges made against him)."
It is incumbent on mature and dispassionate analysts not to look at the CEC's report through political or ideological spectacles and import into it hidden purposes and meanings, says B S Raghavan
After battling with a day-long embarrassment of unending phone calls on Wednesday over Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi hinting in London about the Lok Sabha polls being held April 8 and May 15, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami was stunned to find a Union minister barge into his house in the evening, without any appointment, to enquire about the election dates.
Team Anna's demand for incorporating Right to Reject a candidate in Parliament and assembly elections is an "interesting possibility", feels Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi.
Gujarat will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced.
The International Cricket Council has asked its member boards to ensure that visiting sides get to prepare in playing conditions at par with the ones provided to the home team, emphasising on net bowlers and training pitches.
It has met 20 such delegations and members of the public from Ramban, Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Kathua and Doda districts.
Apart from Chamkaur Sahib assembly seat which comes in Maajha region of Punjab, Congress is all set to field CM Channi from Adampur assembly constituency which falls in the Doaba Region.
Claiming that their activists were under attack from 'Trinamool Congress-led anti-socials', the Left parties on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to take immediate steps to ensure free and fair polls in West Bengal, including ordering the execution of non-bailable warrants against criminals who were 'terrorising' people ahead of the vote.The four parties also alleged that a prominent media group, which they said was 'acting as an official mouthpiece' of Mamata Banerjee'
The Wednesday's preliminary meeting focused on various thematic issues including assured minimum facilities at polling stations, ease of registration for voters, electoral roll, timely resolution of grievances, arrangements of electronic voting and paper trail machines, postal ballot facility for senior citizens who are 80 and above, and people with disabilities.
N Gopalaswamy said the number of political parties increased manifold after 2003 because of tax exemptions
Ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, chief election commissioner SY Quraishi has said that the money seized in raids by the state election commission is only the tip of the iceberg. chief election commissioner SY Quraishi said, "flow of money is our biggest challenge. Even the money confiscated in the recent seizures does not cover it all."
'We are seeing an era where only what Modi wishes is going to happen.' 'A clear message has now been sent to others that if this fate could befall on Nitin Gadkari, then just think what could happen to lesser mortals.'
The Opposition can only question us if we stop them from campaigning. The opportunities are equal for all, he said.
N Gopalaswami is expected to be the next chief election commissioner succeeding B B Tandon, who is retiring on June 29.
It all started to go from bad to worse when controversial former All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel, whose third term in office ended in December 2020, stayed in office citing a pending Supreme Court case.
The Election Commission will hold the 2019 general election under Arora .
A senior party leader on the condition of anonymity said the CWC meeting will be called next week although the agenda is to be worked out and finalised.
Tandon, who was appointed as EC in 2001, will assume charge of the post on the retirement of incumbent T S Krishna Murthy on May 16, an official announcement said.
In the backdrop of allegations by certain political parties that the Electronic Voting Machines could be hacked, the Election Commission on Thursday said EVMs were and are tamper proof.
He will assume charge with effect from April 19, after the incumbent Hari Shankar Brahma demits office
Allaying all doubts on the possibility of Electronic Voting Machine tampering, Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla on Tuesday said the machines used in India are stand-alone machines and cannot be manipulated.
