Retired bureaucrat Rajiv Kumar was on Friday appointed as election commissioner in place of Ashok Lavasa who resigned.

President Ram Nath Kovind cleared his appointment with effect from the date he assumes office. His appointment is in place of Lavasa who resigned with effect from August 31.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/election-commission-of-india-issues-covid-19-guidelines-for-conduct-of-bihar-polls-322202">Election Commission of India issues COVID-19 guidelines for conduct of Bihar polls</a>

"In pursuance of clause (2) of article 324 of the Constitution, the president is pleased to appoint Shri Rajiv Kumar, (IAS retired) as the election commissioner with effect from the date he assumes the office&nbsp;vice Shri Ashok Lavasa, election commissioner who has resigned with effect August 31," an official notification of the Ministry of Law and Justice said.

Rajiv Kumar is a retired IAS officer of 1984 batch of Jharkhand cadre.

Retired bureaucrat Rajiv Kumar was on Friday appointed as election commissioner in place of Ashok Lavasa who resigned. President Ram Nath Kovind cleared his appointment with effect from the date he assumes office.

Retired bureaucrat Rajiv Kumar was on Friday appointed as election commissioner in place of Ashok Lavasa who resigned. President Ram Nath Kovind cleared his appointment with effect from the date he assumes office. His appointment is in place of Lavasa who resigned with effect from August 31. Also read | Election Commission of India issues COVID-19 guidelines for conduct of Bihar polls "In pursuance of clause (2) of article 324 of the Constitution, the president is pleased to appoint Shri Rajiv Kumar, (IAS retired) as the election commissioner with effect from the date he assumes the office vice Shri Ashok Lavasa, election commissioner who has resigned with effect August 31," an official notification of the Ministry of Law and Justice said. Rajiv Kumar is a retired IAS officer of 1984 batch of Jharkhand cadre.

Retired bureaucrat Rajiv Kumar appointed EC in place of Ashok Lavasa

Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday reviewed poll preparedness ahead of upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, officials of the state election commission and state police officers were also present in the meeting.

The Commission also met political parties.

"Election Commission is looking after the poll preparation. They are meeting with political parties. We told them that the Commission should prepare a plan since Diwali festival is also coinciding. We said that the election should be held in phases. We demanded that the Media Certification Committee should be open 24x7 and approve publicity material quickly. We also requested that expenditure of a candidate should also be increased," Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai told ANI.

Maharashtra Assembly elections are due in October-November this year.

"We requested that election expenditure should be increased. There is also a deadline for permission for only 24 hours. We have urged that it should be increased to seven days," NCP leader Nawab Malik said.

Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday reviewed poll preparedness ahead of upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, officials of the state election commission and state police officers were also present in the meeting.

Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday reviewed poll preparedness ahead of upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, officials of the state election commission and state police officers were also present in the meeting. The Commission also met political parties. "Election Commission is looking after the poll preparation. They are meeting with political parties. We told them that the Commission should prepare a plan since Diwali festival is also coinciding. We said that the election should be held in phases. We demanded that the Media Certification Committee should be open 24x7 and approve publicity material quickly. We also requested that expenditure of a candidate should also be increased," Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai told ANI. Maharashtra Assembly elections are due in October-November this year. "We requested that election expenditure should be increased. There is also a deadline for permission for only 24 hours. We have urged that it should be increased to seven days," NCP leader Nawab Malik said.

Election Commission reviews preparedness ahead of upcoming Maharashtra polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slams opposition parties for creating 'Needless Controversy' over Election Commission of India. Opposition parties alleges tampering of EVM.

PM Modi slams opposition for creating 'Needless controversy' over EC

The Election Commission of India personnels is reaching far-flung areas of the nation to conduct smooth polls and making sure that every vote must cast. Watch video to know more.

Lok Sabha election 2019: ECI personnel reach far-flung areas to make every vote count

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday wrote to the Election Commission protesting transfers of four IPS officers, including Kolkata and Bidhannagar police commissioners.

The EC decision is "unfortunate", "highly arbitrary, motivated and biased" and taken at the behest of BJP, the letter said, urging the poll panel to review its decision.

"Should there be any deterioration in the law order situation of the state, would the Commission take responsibility?" said the letter, the content of which was shared with PTI.

It also asked the EC to initiate a probe as to how and under whose guidance the decision on the transfer of the top police officers was taken.

"I strongly feel that the EC plays a neutral role to save democracy in India. But, it is very unfortunate that I have to write this letter today to raise strong protest against the transfer order dated April 5, 2019 issued by the EC by way of removing four senior officers from their existing positions," Banerjee said in her letter.

"The decision of the Commission is highly arbitrary, motivated and biased. We have every reason to believe that the decision of the Commission is at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre, i.E the BJP," the letter read.

Banerjee alleged that the EC transfer orders came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a BJP candidate alleged in a TV programme that the law and order situation in West Bengal is bad.

The EC had on Friday night removed Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh in a major shake-up ahead of the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Rajesh Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Pollution Control Board, was made the new Kolkata top cop, while Natarajan Ramesh Babu, ADG and IGP, Operations, was named the Bidhannagar police commissioner.

The poll body also named Avannu Ravindranath, deputy commissioner (Airport Division) of Bidhannagar, as the new Birbhum superintendent of police and appointed Srihari Pandey, deputy commissioner of Kolkata Armed Police, 3rd Battalion, as the Diamond Harbour police superintendent.

The announcement comes days after opposition parties in the state had alleged that free and fair elections would not be possible under these officers.

"The flow of events gives rise to strong doubts whether the Commission is functioning as per its constitutional mandate of conducting free and fair elections or working in a manner to appease the ruling BJP at the centre," the letter said.

Describing Sharma and Singh as "bright and experienced", she said they had played key roles in the seizure of illegal currency, gold, liquor and other prohibited items and in enforcing law and order in strict manner.

"The decision of the ECI to remove these officers leaves a big question mark whether this step is to give a shield to the vested interested parties and their political masters," Banerjee's letter said.

She said those brought in place of the two top police officers had been given the duty of police observers in other states and have little idea about Kolkata and Bidhannagar.

Stating that law and order is a state subject, Banerjee alleged that the state government was not consulted on the transfer.

"By not following the established practice and not seeking a panel of officers from the state government, the action of the ECI is prima facie undemocratic, biased and suffers from principles of natural justice," she wrote.

The EC had written to Chief Secretary Malay De directing immediate implementation of the transfers and sought a compliance report within 24 hours.

It also directed that the police officers who have been transferred should not be involved by the state government in any election-related duty.

Both Sharma and Singh were present when Banerjee began her sit-in on February 3 to protest against CBI's attempts to question former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with its probe into the Saradha scam.

Kumar was later interrogated by the CBI in Shillong under the orders of the Supreme Court and Sharma had replaced Kumar.

After TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife was allegedly found carrying gold at the Kolkata airport, BJP had lodged a complaint with the EC against Bidhannagar Police commissioner Gyanwant Singh.

The party had demanded that Singh be held responsible for the alleged police interference if "prima facie any such incident happened". 
&nbsp;

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday wrote to the Election Commission protesting transfers of four IPS officers, including Kolkata and Bidhannagar police commissioners.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday wrote to the Election Commission protesting transfers of four IPS officers, including Kolkata and Bidhannagar police commissioners. The EC decision is "unfortunate", "highly arbitrary, motivated and biased" and taken at the behest of BJP, the letter said, urging the poll panel to review its decision. "Should there be any deterioration in the law order situation of the state, would the Commission take responsibility?" said the letter, the content of which was shared with PTI. It also asked the EC to initiate a probe as to how and under whose guidance the decision on the transfer of the top police officers was taken. "I strongly feel that the EC plays a neutral role to save democracy in India. But, it is very unfortunate that I have to write this letter today to raise strong protest against the transfer order dated April 5, 2019 issued by the EC by way of removing four senior officers from their existing positions," Banerjee said in her letter. "The decision of the Commission is highly arbitrary, motivated and biased. We have every reason to believe that the decision of the Commission is at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre, i.E the BJP," the letter read. Banerjee alleged that the EC transfer orders came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a BJP candidate alleged in a TV programme that the law and order situation in West Bengal is bad. The EC had on Friday night removed Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh in a major shake-up ahead of the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls in the state. Rajesh Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Pollution Control Board, was made the new Kolkata top cop, while Natarajan Ramesh Babu, ADG and IGP, Operations, was named the Bidhannagar police commissioner. The poll body also named Avannu Ravindranath, deputy commissioner (Airport Division) of Bidhannagar, as the new Birbhum superintendent of police and appointed Srihari Pandey, deputy commissioner of Kolkata Armed Police, 3rd Battalion, as the Diamond Harbour police superintendent. The announcement comes days after opposition parties in the state had alleged that free and fair elections would not be possible under these officers. "The flow of events gives rise to strong doubts whether the Commission is functioning as per its constitutional mandate of conducting free and fair elections or working in a manner to appease the ruling BJP at the centre," the letter said. Describing Sharma and Singh as "bright and experienced", she said they had played key roles in the seizure of illegal currency, gold, liquor and other prohibited items and in enforcing law and order in strict manner. "The decision of the ECI to remove these officers leaves a big question mark whether this step is to give a shield to the vested interested parties and their political masters," Banerjee's letter said. She said those brought in place of the two top police officers had been given the duty of police observers in other states and have little idea about Kolkata and Bidhannagar. Stating that law and order is a state subject, Banerjee alleged that the state government was not consulted on the transfer. "By not following the established practice and not seeking a panel of officers from the state government, the action of the ECI is prima facie undemocratic, biased and suffers from principles of natural justice," she wrote. The EC had written to Chief Secretary Malay De directing immediate implementation of the transfers and sought a compliance report within 24 hours. It also directed that the police officers who have been transferred should not be involved by the state government in any election-related duty. Both Sharma and Singh were present when Banerjee began her sit-in on February 3 to protest against CBI's attempts to question former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with its probe into the Saradha scam. Kumar was later interrogated by the CBI in Shillong under the orders of the Supreme Court and Sharma had replaced Kumar. After TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife was allegedly found carrying gold at the Kolkata airport, BJP had lodged a complaint with the EC against Bidhannagar Police commissioner Gyanwant Singh. The party had demanded that Singh be held responsible for the alleged police interference if "prima facie any such incident happened".

'Unfortunate,' says Mamata in letter to EC against transfer of top police officials

The Election Commission of India (ECI) transferred Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh on Friday.&nbsp;

The Commission posted Dr Rajesh Kumar, presently serving as ADG, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner. Natarajan Ramesh Babu is presently posted as ADG and IG, Operations as the new Bidhannagar Police Commissioner.&nbsp;

Interestingly, Sharma and Singh were reportedly seen sharing the ‘dharna’ spot of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while protesting the CBI's move to investigate former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar.&nbsp;

Opposition parties on several occasions levelled concerns over Sharma and Singh being directly involved in the electoral process after they were reportedly seen at the protest.&nbsp;

This apart, two other officers were also transferred. Selva Murugan was transferred from the post of SP Diamond Harbour Police district. Avvaru Ravindranath was posted as the SP Diamond Harbour. Shrihari Pandey was posted as SP Diamond Harbour replacing former SP Shyam Singh.&nbsp;

The notification issued by the ECI reads, “The direction of the Commission be implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report in respect of joining of above officers be sent within 24 hours. The present incumbent officers being shifted not to be involved by the state government in any election-related duties.”&nbsp;

The Election Commission of India (ECI) transferred Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh on Friday. The Commission posted Dr Rajesh Kumar, presently serving as ADG, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) transferred Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh on Friday. The Commission posted Dr Rajesh Kumar, presently serving as ADG, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, as the new Kolkata Police Commissioner. Natarajan Ramesh Babu is presently posted as ADG and IG, Operations as the new Bidhannagar Police Commissioner. Interestingly, Sharma and Singh were reportedly seen sharing the ‘dharna’ spot of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while protesting the CBI's move to investigate former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Opposition parties on several occasions levelled concerns over Sharma and Singh being directly involved in the electoral process after they were reportedly seen at the protest. This apart, two other officers were also transferred. Selva Murugan was transferred from the post of SP Diamond Harbour Police district. Avvaru Ravindranath was posted as the SP Diamond Harbour. Shrihari Pandey was posted as SP Diamond Harbour replacing former SP Shyam Singh. The notification issued by the ECI reads, “The direction of the Commission be implemented with immediate effect and a compliance report in respect of joining of above officers be sent within 24 hours. The present incumbent officers being shifted not to be involved by the state government in any election-related duties.”

West Bengal: ECI transfers Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma seen at Mamata Banerjee’s dharna 

Election Commission of India has blasted the uncorroborated tongue in cheek allegation by Syed Shuja, a self styled cyber expert seeking asylum in the United States, who showed up on Skype to address a press conference in London on Monday and hurled the wild charge that the 2014 parliamentary elections in India were rigged by hacking the electronic voting machines (EVMs). He didn’t stop at that and went on to allege that the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, held after demonetisation, also were rigged in favour of the BJP.

About the Delhi Assembly election, that brought the Aam Aadmi Party to power with a historic mandate, Shuja said that his team could intercept low-frequency communication and reverse the Delhi results. Otherwise, the BJP would have swept these polls by hacking the EVMs, he said adding that low-frequency signals to rig the just concluded Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan also were “successfully intercepted” and as a result, the BJP lost power in these States.

ECI has lodged an FIR against Shuja. The election body has also issued a statement to counter what it has described as a “motivated controversy”. &nbsp;ECI has placed on record the testimony of the Technical Experts Committee (TEC) members - Prof D T Shahani, Prof Emeritus IIT Delhi and Prof Rajat Moona, Director IIT Bhilai and Prof D K Sharma, Prof Emeritus IIT Bombay (Mumbai), who have have reconfirmed to the ECI that the ECI-EVMs are stand-alone machines designed to connect only amongst ECI-EVM units (Ballot Unit, Control Unit and VVPAT) through cables that remain in full public view. 
 
There is no mechanism in ECI-EVMs to communicate with any device through wireless communication on any Radio Frequency. All versions of ECI-EVMs are regularly and rigorously tested against low to high wireless frequencies. These tests include and go beyond the standard tests specified for electronic equipment. ECI-EVMs are regularly tested for proper functioning under all kind of operating conditions. ECI-EVMs are also regularly tested for code authentication and verification.

Meanwhile, in London, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has distanced itself from the press conference that was jointly organised by the Indian Journalists’ Association (Europe) and FPA. A day after the presser, FPA tweeted: The Foreign Press Association strongly disassociates itself with any claims made by the speaker Syed Shuja during the #IJA event in London yesterday. Not one of the masked speaker’s accusations have so far been corroborated.

Italian Journalist in London, Deborah Bonetti, who writes for an Italian newspaper&nbsp;and is Director of the Foreign Press Association, who sat through the London press meet as a co-host later said in a tweet: “The speaker at yesterday’s event #IJA did not follow up his claims with any proof. He was not credible and should not have been given a platform”.

The Congress party also has chosen to distance itself from the London press conference. Party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that party senior Kapil Sibal, who was present at this event had been invited by a journalist and was not there to represent the Congress party.

When journalists present at the London presser asked Shuja whether or not he had evidence to corroborate his allegations, each time his reply was in the negative. At the fag-end of the whole exercise, one of the media-persons even thanked Shuja for “entertaining” them. The journalists repeatedly questioned him about his agenda and his stock reply was that he was bothered about protecting democracy in India. On being asked why it took him so long to raise the EVM hacking issue, Shuja talked of raising the matter with a TV personality and said that he had chosen to remain silent. &nbsp; 
 
He also told media-persons that the high profile Bangalore-based journalist Gauri Lankesh was in touch with him but was murdered before she could publish a news item on the “hacking of EVMs”. &nbsp;He even went on to make the ridiculous charge, without a shred of evidence, that late Union Minister Gopinath Munde was killed as he was aware of the hacking of EVMs during the 2014 polls.

Shuja deserves to be hauled up for what he has blurted out is obviously motivated towards undermining India's democracy and its robust electoral system, which is globally recognised and respected. He has also made a bizarre attempt to tarnish the image of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the parliamentary election. The ECI has lodged a criminal complaint against him and now he will be dealt with under the law.&nbsp; 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Election Commission of India has blasted the uncorroborated tongue in cheek allegation by Syed Shuja, a self styled cyber expert seeking asylum in the United States, who showed up on Skype to address a press conference in London on Monday and hurled the wild charge that the 2014 parliamentary elections in India were rigged by hacking the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Election Commission of India has blasted the uncorroborated tongue in cheek allegation by Syed Shuja, a self styled cyber expert seeking asylum in the United States, who showed up on Skype to address a press conference in London on Monday and hurled the wild charge that the 2014 parliamentary elections in India were rigged by hacking the electronic voting machines (EVMs). He didn’t stop at that and went on to allege that the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, held after demonetisation, also were rigged in favour of the BJP. About the Delhi Assembly election, that brought the Aam Aadmi Party to power with a historic mandate, Shuja said that his team could intercept low-frequency communication and reverse the Delhi results. Otherwise, the BJP would have swept these polls by hacking the EVMs, he said adding that low-frequency signals to rig the just concluded Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan also were “successfully intercepted” and as a result, the BJP lost power in these States. ECI has lodged an FIR against Shuja. The election body has also issued a statement to counter what it has described as a “motivated controversy”. ECI has placed on record the testimony of the Technical Experts Committee (TEC) members - Prof D T Shahani, Prof Emeritus IIT Delhi and Prof Rajat Moona, Director IIT Bhilai and Prof D K Sharma, Prof Emeritus IIT Bombay (Mumbai), who have have reconfirmed to the ECI that the ECI-EVMs are stand-alone machines designed to connect only amongst ECI-EVM units (Ballot Unit, Control Unit and VVPAT) through cables that remain in full public view. There is no mechanism in ECI-EVMs to communicate with any device through wireless communication on any Radio Frequency. All versions of ECI-EVMs are regularly and rigorously tested against low to high wireless frequencies. These tests include and go beyond the standard tests specified for electronic equipment. ECI-EVMs are regularly tested for proper functioning under all kind of operating conditions. ECI-EVMs are also regularly tested for code authentication and verification. Meanwhile, in London, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has distanced itself from the press conference that was jointly organised by the Indian Journalists’ Association (Europe) and FPA. A day after the presser, FPA tweeted: The Foreign Press Association strongly disassociates itself with any claims made by the speaker Syed Shuja during the #IJA event in London yesterday. Not one of the masked speaker’s accusations have so far been corroborated. Italian Journalist in London, Deborah Bonetti, who writes for an Italian newspaper and is Director of the Foreign Press Association, who sat through the London press meet as a co-host later said in a tweet: “The speaker at yesterday’s event #IJA did not follow up his claims with any proof. He was not credible and should not have been given a platform”. The Congress party also has chosen to distance itself from the London press conference. Party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that party senior Kapil Sibal, who was present at this event had been invited by a journalist and was not there to represent the Congress party. When journalists present at the London presser asked Shuja whether or not he had evidence to corroborate his allegations, each time his reply was in the negative. At the fag-end of the whole exercise, one of the media-persons even thanked Shuja for “entertaining” them. The journalists repeatedly questioned him about his agenda and his stock reply was that he was bothered about protecting democracy in India. On being asked why it took him so long to raise the EVM hacking issue, Shuja talked of raising the matter with a TV personality and said that he had chosen to remain silent. He also told media-persons that the high profile Bangalore-based journalist Gauri Lankesh was in touch with him but was murdered before she could publish a news item on the “hacking of EVMs”. He even went on to make the ridiculous charge, without a shred of evidence, that late Union Minister Gopinath Munde was killed as he was aware of the hacking of EVMs during the 2014 polls. Shuja deserves to be hauled up for what he has blurted out is obviously motivated towards undermining India's democracy and its robust electoral system, which is globally recognised and respected. He has also made a bizarre attempt to tarnish the image of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the parliamentary election. The ECI has lodged a criminal complaint against him and now he will be dealt with under the law. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Election Commission is right to call EVM hackathon 'a motivated slugfest'

A two-day conference of the Chief Electoral Officers of all the States and Union Territories was organised by the Election commission on January 11 and 12 which focused on the integrity of the electoral roll, meticulous planning for elections, EVM and VVPAT assessment and training and extensive voter outreach.

A comprehensive review of poll preparedness of the states prior to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/2019-lok-sabha-elections-the-challenge-of-job-creation-188922">the General elections 2019</a> was conducted through these two days.

 
Addressing the CEOs, the Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora emphasised on the fact that the electoral roll that is currently under the process of revision and finalisation will be used in the forthcoming General elections. He also said that every effort must be made so that all voters are registered well in time. He reaffirmed the significance of the 1950 Helpline for the voters and its role as the First point of Care for the voter in finding her name in the Role, EPIC status and in connecting to the Election machinery and exercising her democratic right. He directed all the state CEOs to set in place support systems for the 1950 Helpline as early as possible.

Arora reiterated the commitment of the Election commission of India to provide assured minimum facilities in all polling stations. He also directed the CEOs to have their Booth level, District level, and State level Plans ready and conduct a meticulous assessment of all resources required for the conduct of elections. The States and the UTs must assess their EVM/ VVPAT requirements and also ensure adherence to the timelines specified for completion of their First Level checking. He laid stress upon extensive Hands on experience of the EVM and VVPAT among the voters as well as during the training of polling officials as it helps to minimize the glitches and also boosts confidence among the stakeholders.

Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, in his address to the CEOs, reiterated the immense significance of the integrity of the electoral roll at this crucial juncture. He said that the entire election machinery must now be geared up in order to deliver yet another flawless election to the country. In order to accomplish this herculean task, a detailed planning process and a leadership role have to be assumed by the CEO at the state and the DEOs in the districts. He suggested to each state to reach out to each and every voter and develop innovative mechanisms to facilitate voting for People with a disability. He also emphasised upon coordination with bordering states as well as with other agencies in order to give more teeth to the expenditure Monitoring mechanisms operative in the states.

Through the two-day conference, each and every aspect of the conduct of election including the availability of sufficient budget, manpower, resources, SVEEP, planning, polling station arrangements and IT applications including Suvidha, Sugam, and C-Vigil were discussed in detail and the preparedness of States/UTs on each of these parameters was assessed.

The five states which had recently undergone Assembly elections - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Telangana, and Rajasthan gave a presentation on the takeaways and the learnings from their experiences. Chhattisgarh had developed an app to track their polling personnel which streamlined the process. Madhya Pradesh developed an app to ensure queue less voting experience for people with disabilities, pregnant women and women with infants. These five states demonstrated how technology can be leveraged to enhance voter experience and also provide crucial data in an instant to the election officers.

Mizoram highlighted its successful conduct of elections despite initial problems. The Mizoram experience was on building bridges with the civil society organizations, opening dialogue and also the setting up of polling stations for the Bru community in coordination with the state of Tripura was a notable achievement.

Both Rajasthan and Telangana cited several instances of innovative campaigns incorporating local cultural practices which led to a good turn out in these states.

All the other CEOs of States and UTs made comprehensive presentations to the Commission on the key areas of their preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

A comprehensive review of poll preparedness of the states prior to the General elections 2019 was conducted in the last two days.

A two-day conference of the Chief Electoral Officers of all the States and Union Territories was organised by the Election commission on January 11 and 12 which focused on the integrity of the electoral roll, meticulous planning for elections, EVM and VVPAT assessment and training and extensive voter outreach. A comprehensive review of poll preparedness of the states prior to the General elections 2019 was conducted through these two days. Addressing the CEOs, the Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora emphasised on the fact that the electoral roll that is currently under the process of revision and finalisation will be used in the forthcoming General elections. He also said that every effort must be made so that all voters are registered well in time. He reaffirmed the significance of the 1950 Helpline for the voters and its role as the First point of Care for the voter in finding her name in the Role, EPIC status and in connecting to the Election machinery and exercising her democratic right. He directed all the state CEOs to set in place support systems for the 1950 Helpline as early as possible. Arora reiterated the commitment of the Election commission of India to provide assured minimum facilities in all polling stations. He also directed the CEOs to have their Booth level, District level, and State level Plans ready and conduct a meticulous assessment of all resources required for the conduct of elections. The States and the UTs must assess their EVM/ VVPAT requirements and also ensure adherence to the timelines specified for completion of their First Level checking. He laid stress upon extensive Hands on experience of the EVM and VVPAT among the voters as well as during the training of polling officials as it helps to minimize the glitches and also boosts confidence among the stakeholders. Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, in his address to the CEOs, reiterated the immense significance of the integrity of the electoral roll at this crucial juncture. He said that the entire election machinery must now be geared up in order to deliver yet another flawless election to the country. In order to accomplish this herculean task, a detailed planning process and a leadership role have to be assumed by the CEO at the state and the DEOs in the districts. He suggested to each state to reach out to each and every voter and develop innovative mechanisms to facilitate voting for People with a disability. He also emphasised upon coordination with bordering states as well as with other agencies in order to give more teeth to the expenditure Monitoring mechanisms operative in the states. Through the two-day conference, each and every aspect of the conduct of election including the availability of sufficient budget, manpower, resources, SVEEP, planning, polling station arrangements and IT applications including Suvidha, Sugam, and C-Vigil were discussed in detail and the preparedness of States/UTs on each of these parameters was assessed. The five states which had recently undergone Assembly elections - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Telangana, and Rajasthan gave a presentation on the takeaways and the learnings from their experiences. Chhattisgarh had developed an app to track their polling personnel which streamlined the process. Madhya Pradesh developed an app to ensure queue less voting experience for people with disabilities, pregnant women and women with infants. These five states demonstrated how technology can be leveraged to enhance voter experience and also provide crucial data in an instant to the election officers. Mizoram highlighted its successful conduct of elections despite initial problems. The Mizoram experience was on building bridges with the civil society organizations, opening dialogue and also the setting up of polling stations for the Bru community in coordination with the state of Tripura was a notable achievement. Both Rajasthan and Telangana cited several instances of innovative campaigns incorporating local cultural practices which led to a good turn out in these states. All the other CEOs of States and UTs made comprehensive presentations to the Commission on the key areas of their preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Election Commission India reviews Poll Preparedness with all State CEOs

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to pass any interim order on staying the Centre&#39;s notification disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs in &#39;Office of Profit&#39; case.

The court also asked the Election Commission not to make any announcement regarding bypolls in Delhi until January 29, the next date of hearing in the case.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking to quash the disqualification of its MLAs accused of holding the &lsquo;office of profit&rsquo;.

Earlier, on January 19, the poll panel had made the recommendation for the disqualification of the 20 legislators, which was given assent by the President.&nbsp;

On January 20, the Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification that the President held that the 20 MLAs stand disqualified under Section 15(1)(a) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act.&nbsp;

The EC had made the recommendation while deciding a plea by advocate Prashant Patel, who had sought disqualification of 21 AAP MLAs for holding the office of parliamentary secretaries, which he had said amounted to the office of profit.&nbsp;

The proceedings against Jarnail Singh were dropped after he resigned as the Rajouri Garden MLA to contest the Punjab Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that the Election Commission is acting on behalf of the BJP in a blatant misuse of power.

They say that the Election Commission ignored the legislators&#39; right and request to present their cases. The Election Commission, on the other hand, says that AAP skipped several chances to defend itself.

The party insists that its legislators drew no salary or perks as parliamentary secretaries and so there is no question of their having held offices of profit.

Addressing a press conference senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that AAP MLAs have presented their points in court that how this one-sided and illegal decision has taken.

High court reviewed it and issued a notice to EC and Indian government also restricted EC to impose any kind of by election or election on Delhi people.

HC today refused to pass any interim order on staying the Centre's notification disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs for holding offices of profit

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to pass any interim order on staying the Centre's notification disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs in 'Office of Profit' case. The court also asked the Election Commission not to make any announcement regarding bypolls in Delhi until January 29, the next date of hearing in the case. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking to quash the disqualification of its MLAs accused of holding the ‘office of profit’. Earlier, on January 19, the poll panel had made the recommendation for the disqualification of the 20 legislators, which was given assent by the President. On January 20, the Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification that the President held that the 20 MLAs stand disqualified under Section 15(1)(a) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act. The EC had made the recommendation while deciding a plea by advocate Prashant Patel, who had sought disqualification of 21 AAP MLAs for holding the office of parliamentary secretaries, which he had said amounted to the office of profit. The proceedings against Jarnail Singh were dropped after he resigned as the Rajouri Garden MLA to contest the Punjab Assembly polls. Meanwhile, Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that the Election Commission is acting on behalf of the BJP in a blatant misuse of power. They say that the Election Commission ignored the legislators' right and request to present their cases. The Election Commission, on the other hand, says that AAP skipped several chances to defend itself. The party insists that its legislators drew no salary or perks as parliamentary secretaries and so there is no question of their having held offices of profit. Addressing a press conference senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that AAP MLAs have presented their points in court that how this one-sided and illegal decision has taken. High court reviewed it and issued a notice to EC and Indian government also restricted EC to impose any kind of by election or election on Delhi people.

Office of profit: Delhi High Court asks Election Commission not to make bypoll announcement until January 29

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