Election Commission

Delhi Assembly elections LIVE news: AAP, BJP trade accusations over money distribution, fake voting

Delhi Assembly elections 2025 voting LIVE updates: The voting percentage in Delhi was recorded at 33.31 per cent till 1 pm. Catch all the LIVE updates here

Delhi Assembly elections: EC bans exit polls before 6:30 pm on February 5

displaying any election matter, including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media would be prohibited during the 48-hour period

Election rules change row: SC orders EC to preserve video clips of polling

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission of India to preserve video clips of the polling during the pendency of the pleas against the decision to increase the maximum number of voters per polling station from 1,200 to 1,500. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar passed the order the counsel for the Election Commission of India (ECI) sought time to respond to the PIL filed by one Indu Prakash Singh. Singh has challenged the panel's communications in August 2024 for increasing the number of voters per polling stations in each constituency. "The counsel appearing for respondent number 1 prays for further time to file affidavit. Let the affidavit be filed within three weeks from today. We deem it appropriate to direct respondent no 1 to maintain the CCTV recordings as they were doing earlier," the bench said. The top court on January 15 sought responses from the Centre and the poll panel on Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's

Yamuna poison row: ECI to investigate entire matter, says Sanjay Singh

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will visit the Election Commission office here on Friday to furnish his reply to the poll body over its notice to him on his "poison mixed" in Yamuna water remark. Kejriwal, who will be accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, will visit the EC office at 11 am, the party said. Kejriwal on Thursday accused the EC and its chief election commissioner of indulging in politics over his statement and claimed that Yamuna water supplied from Haryana to Delhi has high levels of ammonia content. The EC served him two notices seeking reply over his allegation that the BJP government mixed "poison" in Yamuna water for Delhi attempting a "genocide" in the city. Kejriwal, who is contesting the Delhi polls from the New Delhi seat, was asked to share details of engineers, location and methodology of detecting the "poison" by Delhi Jal Board staff by Friday 11 am, failing which the Commission will be free to take appropriate ..

Public duty to highlight toxicity: Kejriwal to EC on Yamuna poison remark

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission notice over his claim that Haryana government was "mixing poison" in Yamuna, and said raw water received from the state recently has been "highly contaminated and extremely poisonous" for human health. In his reply, the former Delhi chief minister also said his remarks were made in context of an "urgent public health crisis" over drinking water quality in the city. In the 14-page reply to the Election Commission, he said the "alleged statements" attributed to him were made as his public duty to highlight the "severe toxicity and contamination" of raw water received from the BJP-ruled state. Following a complaint filed by the BJP over the matter, the Election Commission issued the notice to Kejriwal on Tuesday, giving him time till Wednesday 8 pm to furnish his reply. Kejriwal also said the ammonia level in raw water received from Haryana was so "extreme" that water treatment plants in Delhi are unable to ..

Why can't social media platforms block or label fakes, asks CEC Rajiv Kumar

He said election management bodies must devise and adopt a framework to manage these challenges

Delhi Police blocking AAP complaints against BJP: Atishi writes to EC

Delhi elections 2025: AAP alleges police collusion in intimidation case, calls for transfers of accused officials

EC used power of technology to strengthen people's power, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the Election Commission on Sunday, saying it has used the power of technology to strengthen people's power and also shown commitment to a fair polling process. Modi's praise for the poll body in his monthly Mann ki Baat broadcast came ahead of its foundation day on January 25, observed as the National Voters' Day, and amid frequent criticism from the opposition for its alleged pro-BJP bias. The EC has modernised and strengthened the election process from time to time, Modi asserted. "It has used power of technology to strengthen people's power," he said, asking people to participate in the polling process in large numbers to be part of democratic process and empowering it. Opposition parties have increasingly raised questions on the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and Modi's remarks can be seen as an endorsement of the EVMs. The prime minister said doubts were cast on India's viability as a democracy after it became independent,

ECI urges political parties for responsible use of AI in campaigning

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has consistently cautioned against the potential of AI and deep fakes

EC approves transfer of AAP candidate Ojha's voter ID to Delhi: Kejriwal

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has approved the transfer of AAP leader Awadh Ojha's name from the voter rolls in Greater Noida to Delhi, enabling him to file his nomination from Patparganj seat, party chief Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday. The development came after a delegation of AAP, led by Kejriwal, met ECI officials to address the issue. "The good news is that Awadh Ojha's vote will be shifted, and the commission has issued an order to transfer his vote. He will be able to file the nomination," Kejriwal said. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal alleged irregularities in the electoral process, claiming that Ojha had filed Form 8 to transfer his vote on January 7, ?the official deadline. He also accused the Delhi chief electoral officer of unlawfully advancing the deadline to January 6. Kejriwal said the move was an attempt to "deliberately debar" Ojha from contesting the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections, saying it was against the law. The former Delhi chief minister also m

MP, Karnataka, Maharashtra among states seeing higher women voter turnout

Women-centric schemes fuel 18 mn surge in female voter turnout

'Will fight polls only from New Delhi', Kejriwal shoots down BJP's claim

Quashing BJP leaders' claims that he would contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections from a second seat out of fear of losing from New Delhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said he will contest the polls from one seat only. Kejriwal also asserted that the Assembly polls are not an INDA bloc affair as there is a direct contest between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi. A three-time sitting MLA from New Delhi since 2013, Kejriwal this time is locked in an intense triangular contest against the sons of two former chief ministers of Delhi. While the BJP has fielded former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma's son Parvesh Verma, Congress has given ticket to Sandeep Dikshit whose mother Sheila Dikshit was a three-term chief minister of Delhi. "I am contesting one seat only," Kejriwal said at a press conference when asked about BJP's claims that he was going to fight from a second seat out of fear of losing from New Delhi. The AAP leader's ..

Difficult to define a freebie, our 'hands tied': CEC Rajiv Kumar

Delhi elections on Feb 5, counting on Feb 8

Watch: Delhi election dates announced by CEC Rajiv Kumar

EC defends rule change curbing release of polling booth CCTV footage

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday defended the recent amendment to election rules restricting CCTV footage of polling booths from public inspection, saying it is meant to protect voters' privacy and prevent use of data for creating fake narratives. Based on Election Commission's recommendation, the government had last month tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera footage of polling stations to prevent misuse. In his first remarks on tweak of Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, Kumar said only sharing of CCTV footage from inside and outside polling booths have been restricted. Addressing a press conference here to announce the schedule for Delhi Assembly polls, he said such data or footage was banned for public inspection through EC's instructions in 2024. He said certain other documents which are allowed under Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules will continue to be available. Some documents which

Will detox, go to Himalayas: CEC Rajiv Kumar on post-retirement plans

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday revealed his intention to "detoxify" himself and spend several months in solitude in the Himalayas post his retirement next month. Responding to a question while addressing a presser to announce the Delhi Assembly elections, he shared his post-retirement plans with an introspective touch. "I will detoxify myself for the next four-five months, go to the deep Himalayas, be away from the glare of all of you. I need some 'ekant' (solitude) and 'swadhyay' (self-study)," Kumar, who is set to retire on February 18, said. In October last year, Kumar was rescued from the remote Ralam village in Uttarkhand's Pithoragarh district following an emergency helicopter landing due to inclement weather and left stranded at over 12,000 feet. Kumar, a 1984-batch IAS officer from the Bihar/Jharkhand cadre, also shared a personal aspiration to give back to society by teaching underprivileged children. He recounted his humble beginnings, studying

'No room for manipulation': ECI chief on Kejriwal's 'voter deletion' charge

'Draft rolls are sent to political parties on January 1, and they are given the opportunity to raise claims and objections,' CEC Rajiv Kumar said

Election Commission to announce Delhi poll schedule at 2 pm today

The Election Commission will on Tuesday announce the schedule for polls to the Delhi Legislative Assembly. The Commission has convened a press conference at 2 pm on Tuesday to announce the election schedule. The term of the 70-member Assembly ends on February 23, and elections have to held before that to constitute a new House. Delhi has traditionally seen assembly polls in a single phase.

Only 27% of registered third gender electors voted in 2024 LS polls: EC

More people enrolled themselves in the voters' list for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the 'third gender' category but only 27 per cent of them turned up at the polling stations, according to Election Commission data. According to the data issued by the poll authority last week, 48,194 people were eligible to vote as third gender elector in 2024, compared to 39,075 in 2019 -- an increase of 23.5 per cent over the five-year period. But only 13,058 of them actually exercised their franchise, which comes to 27 per cent of the total registered third gender electors. As per the data, Tamil Nadu had the highest number of registered third gender elector -- 8,467. But only 2,709 cast vote. Their overall participation in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was 14.64 per cent -- almost half as compared to the latest parliamentary polls. There have been reports that several enrolled third gender voters have expressed reluctance to queue up at polling booths, claiming that they are viewed with dis

28% of Lok Sabha seats had no woman candidate in 2024, shows ECI report

The highlight of the 2024 LS election was again the better turnout of woman electors in percentage terms than men