Alleging that the Chief Election Commissioner's controversial recommendation for removal of his colleague has eroded the credibility of the poll body, the Communist Party of India-Marxist on Friday claimed the CEC himself has violated the independence of the Election Commission.
Phases 1 to 4 of the Lok Sabha elections will witness 278 candidates with charges. The data of 1,566 candidates which have been analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms show that out of the 278 candidates with charges, 155 of them have serious charges against them.
Voters have a fundamental right to know the academic qualification of a candidate and any false declaration on this count can warrant rejection of nomination papers, the Supreme Court has held.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to inform it whether a system incorporating ballot papers with Electronic Voting Machines was possible to implement during elections.Acting on a petition filed by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, a division bench of Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Manmohan directed the EC's counsel to file an affidavit in this regard by October 21.
In spite of the Election Commission's repeated pleas against the criminalisation of politics, few political parties have paid any heed to it and have continued to field candidates with a dubious record in the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls.
'Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court that his government will give reservation in promotions which resulted in a powerful reaction by the youth.' 'These youth used to vote for the BJP, but will not vote for it in this election.' 'Even if the Congress does not make any gains, the BJP is losing voters in the current situation. It is losing farmers, OBC votes.'
In its order, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, gave some more leeway to the government which has been arguing that pricing details are so sensitive that they have not even been shared with Parliament.
The average assets of an MP are now 345.8 times that of an annual income of a tax-filing individual, reports Sachin P Mampatta.
Forty-five cows, 20 calves and a double barrel gun with 50 cartridges are among the possessions of former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls as a Rashtriya Janata Dal candidate from Saran constituency.
Ramesh released some fresh documents including one of 1949 which showed that the Dholpur Palace was owned by the Rajasthan government.
The EC currently follows a system of random counting of VVPAT slips in one polling booth per assembly segment of a Parliamentary or assembly constituency.
'The Congress-NCP is a declining force while we are a rising force.'
India's tennis ace Sania Mirza, on Saturday, was appointed as playing captain of India's Fed Cup team, which will seek to make it to Group I grade of Asia/Oceania zone in Hyderabad from April 14.
The West Bengal government had written to the Centre seeking extended deployment of CAPF till December 25, but was told that out of the 15 companies present, 10 would be withdrawn on October 15 and the rest by October 20.
The allegations against her are baseless. Nothing against her or Swami Aseemanad have been proved, Shah said.
After Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi attacked Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over acknowledgement of his marital status, BJP on Friday asked why an issue was being made out of it when the Gujarat chief minister has "never lied" on the matter and there was "no aggrieved party".
"I will never take my words back. I stood by it yesterday, I stand by it today and I will stand by it in future. I am ready to go to trial," said the Congress vice president.
83 MLAs from the BJP, 11 from the SP, four from the BSP, one from the Congress and three Independents have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar can arguably be dubbed 'the cleanest and poorest' chief minister in the country with personal property, movable and immovable, valued at less than Rs 2.5 lakh.
If the Indian government insults them, then they will will ensure its removal, Gandhi said.
Cases range from murder to attempted murder and even rape. Some candidates even face cases of communal disharmony. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Amid the row over her educational qualification, Union Minister Smriti Irani had asked the Delhi University not to disclose it to an RTI applicant, the School of Open Learning has told the Central Information Commission.
"Ramgopal Yadav was expelled from the party for six years on 30 December, 2016. Therefore the party's national convention called by him on 1 January, 2017 was illegal," he asserted.
The SC directed the centre to place before it details regarding 1,581 cases involving MPs and MLAs, as declared by politicians at the time of filing their nominations during the 2014 general elections.
The Allahabad High Court on Monday issued notices to five Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh, including Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi and BJP president Rajnath Singh, on separate petitions challenging their election to Parliament.
The value of assets owned by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has crossed the Rs 1 crore mark in 2012, from Rs 40 lakh five years ago, as per his affidavit accompanying the nomination papers for assembly elections.
Of the 258 candidates in the electoral fray in Manipur for the forthcoming assembly elections, only three have criminal charges registered against them. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms, which analyses the affidavits filed by candidates, only three face criminal charges. As many as 33 candidates contesting the assembly polls are crorepatis.
Observing that there are "definite and proved" allegations that complaints of the victims of violence in the aftermath of the West Bengal assembly polls were not even registered, the Calcutta high court on Thursday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into all alleged cases of heinous crimes like rape and murder, while accepting the recommendations of a National Human Rights Commission panel.
The apex court, which was hearing a PIL seeking that convicted persons be restrained from forming and holding posts in political parties for the period they are disqualified under the election law, posted the matter to May 3 for final disposal.
Even as the unity moves between the two AIADMK factions seem to be going nowhere, former chief minister O Panneerselvam is working on a grand alliance of other Opposition parties, reports R Rajagopalan.
'Rather than an outcome of 'pro-incumbency', the exit poll results betray a completely lackadaisical approach of the Opposition parties.' 'While a new kind of politics was on display for the past five years, they were still mired in their old-style methods which will cost them the election,' predicts Utkarsh Mishra.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has assets worth a whopping Rs 87.27 crore, according to the National Election Watch, which has analysed the affidavits filed by the chief ministers of the five poll-bound states.
Govt effort to curb black money in polls futile if identity of donors not known, says SC.
'Secrecy allowed in the electoral bonds scheme legalises anonymity'
'Why did government not include a provision in the bills which categorically stated that no crop will be sold below the MSP in the open market?'
Former Karnataka Chief Minister S Bangarappa has filed a petition before the Election Commission of India praying to disqualify Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa from his membership of the state assembly, alleging that the latter has furnished "false" affidavit concerning his assets and liabilities.
The Congress's master strategist is so incredibly popular and resourceful that even Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa regretted his arrest. That's the secret of D K Shivakumar's success, says Aditi Phadnis.
The EC has said it amounts to trying to better prospects in the polls.
The Karnataka Election Watch Committee of the Association of Democratic Reforms has found that several leaders, including former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his brother H D Revanna, have not declared their PAN numbers while submitting their affidavits to the returning officer at the time of filing their nominations. 240 candidates from various parties in Karnataka have failed to declare their PAN numbers at the time of filing their nomination papers.
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