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In response to requests from multiple political parties, the <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="election-commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword> (EC) has decided to postpone upcoming by-elections in <keyword id="19894922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uttar-pradesh" source="keywords">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>, Kerala, and Punjab. Originally scheduled for November 13, the polls will now take place on November 20. This rescheduling aims to accommodate local festivities and boost voter turnout. The EC’s decision follows appeals from parties like the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="congress" source="keywords">Congress</keyword> (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and <keyword id="19984283" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rashtriya-lok-dal" source="keywords">Rashtriya Lok Dal</keyword> (RLD), which expressed concerns over potential low turnout due to regional celebrations during the original polling date. The Congress highlighted that in Kerala's 56-Palakkad Assembly Constituency, many residents will participate in the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival, a major event set to run from November 13 to 15. Similarly, representatives from the BJP, BSP, and RLD raised concerns in Uttar Pradesh, where people begin travelling several days in advance for <keyword id="22124352" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kartik-purnima" source="keywords">Kartik Purnima</keyword>, an important festival observed in the state. In Punjab, the Congress pointed out that celebrations for the 555th Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji are scheduled for November 15, with religious observances starting on November 13. These festivals are expected to draw significant portions of the electorate, particularly in rural areas. The EC has previously demonstrated flexibility to prioritise voter participation by adjusting poll dates to avoid clashes with religious or cultural events. In recent years, polling dates were modified for various elections, including the <keyword id="23790298" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="punjab-state-elections" source="keywords">Punjab State Elections</keyword> 2022 during the Shri Guru Ravidas Jayanti, and the <keyword id="23790297" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uttar-pradesh-assembly-elections" source="keywords">Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections</keyword> 2012 for <keyword id="23790296" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="barawafat" source="keywords">Barawafat</keyword>. Similar changes were made in Manipur, Mizoram, and Rajasthan to respect community schedules and increase voter convenience. With this adjustment, one assembly constituency in Kerala, four in Punjab, and nine in Uttar Pradesh will now hold their by-polls on November 20, while the dates for vote counting and final poll completion remain set for November 23 and 25, respectively. (With inputs from agencies)

By-polls in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Punjab rescheduled due to clash with religious festivals — check new dates here

The <keyword id="19895876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Election Commission of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Election Commission of India">Election Commission of India</keyword> (ECI) has officially announced the schedules for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, setting the stage for crucial state elections next month. Here’s what voters in these states can expect: <h2>Maharashtra: Single-phase voting on November 20</h2>Maharashtra will head to the polls in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. This election will see a high-stakes contest between two major coalitions: the <keyword id="19924537" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maha-Vikas-Aghadi" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Maha Vikas Aghadi" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Maha Vikas Aghadi">Maha Vikas Aghadi</keyword> (MVA) and the <keyword id="21555670" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maha-Yuti-Alliance" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Maha Yuti Alliance" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Maha Yuti Alliance">Maha Yuti Alliance</keyword>. The MVA consists of <keyword id="19905331" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uddhav-Thackeray" source="keywords">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword>'s Shiv Sena (UBT), the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword>, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Sharad Pawar. Meanwhile, the Maha Yuti Alliance brings together the <keyword id="19931558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharatiya Janata Party" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Bharatiya Janata Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (BJP), Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP. This intense battle for control over the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly follows the end of the current term on November 26. The model code of conduct has come into immediate effect in Maharashtra, guiding political parties on appropriate campaigning practices and ensuring fair elections. <h2>Jharkhand: Two-phase voting on November 13 and 20</h2>In Jharkhand, voting will occur in two phases: the first on November 13 and the second on November 20. The results will be declared on November 23, alongside Maharashtra’s. This election focuses on the 81-seat Assembly, with a fierce competition expected between the ruling <keyword id="20028356" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jharkhand-Mukti-Morcha" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Jharkhand Mukti Morcha" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Jharkhand Mukti Morcha">Jharkhand Mukti Morcha</keyword> (JMM)-Congress alliance and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the BJP, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), and Janata Dal (United). Jharkhand’s current Assembly term expires on January 5, 2025. The elections will feature 29,562 polling stations across urban and rural areas to accommodate the state’s 2.6 crore registered voters. This diverse electorate includes 66.84 lakh young voters and 11.84 lakh first-time voters, with special arrangements for 3.67 lakh persons with disabilities. <h2>Pre-election preparations</h2>The ECI’s preparations for the elections began in September, with teams visiting both states to assess readiness. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, alongside Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, met with local officials, district collectors, and political representatives to evaluate logistical arrangements and security measures. In Maharashtra, the Maha Yuti Alliance and the MVA have been ramping up their efforts to secure <keyword id="23060079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-support" source="keywords">voter support</keyword> in what is expected to be a dramatic electoral showdown. In Jharkhand, the ruling JMM, which is part of the INDIA bloc, is eyeing another term despite recent controversies surrounding Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who faced legal challenges earlier this year. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance remains strong, as the party is expected to contest all 81 seats in the Assembly. (With inputs from agencies)

ECI Announces election schedules for Maharashtra and Jharkhand; both states to vote in November

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="19903807" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Elon-Musk" source="keywords">Elon Musk</keyword>'s "<keyword id="22401684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="America-PAC" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="America PAC" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="America PAC">America PAC</keyword>" has spent tens of millions of dollars to help <keyword id="19918985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump" source="keywords">Donald Trump</keyword>.</li><li>Now, the super PAC is wading into more than a dozen House races across the country.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chris-young-republican-operative-elon-musk-hired-donald-trump-donor-2024-8">Elon Musk's super PAC</a> has already spent tens of millions of dollars on electing former President Donald Trump. Now, the tech billionaire's "America PAC" is wading into the fight for control of the <keyword id="20568525" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="House-of-Representatives" source="keywords">House of Representatives</keyword>. According to a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/127/202409169675489127/202409169675489127.pdf">document</a> filed with the <keyword id="20622841" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Federal-Election-Commission" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Federal Election Commission" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Federal Election Commission">Federal Election Commission</keyword> on Monday night, America PAC is spending more than $2.1 million across 14 competitive House races. There's likely to be more where that came from. Punchbowl News <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://punchbowl.news/archive/91624-am/">reported</a> on Monday that the PAC has set aside $10 million for "voter turnout" in House races around the country. In an interview with the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson in July, Musk said that his PAC was "not meant to be sort of a hyperpartisan PAC" and that the goals were "promoting meritocracy" and promoting "freedom to operate, meaning the least amount of of government intervention possible." It remains unclear how much Musk, who <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chris-young-republican-operative-elon-musk-hired-donald-trump-donor-2024-8">created the PAC</a> and is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/15/musk-trump-super-pac/">reportedly</a> involved deeply in itself operations, has contributed to the PAC himself. The PAC's July report did not include any contributions from Musk, and the group isn't required to disclose further contributions until mid-October. Musk has also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/musk-trump-donation-campaign-finance-reform-2024-7">denied earlier reports</a> that he planned to spend $45 million per month on the effort. Neither Musk nor a representative for the PAC immediately responded to a request for comment. So far, America PAC has spent more than $55 million on the election, the vast majority of which has gone toward supporting Trump and opposing Vice President Kamala Harris. But the spending indicates that Musk's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-political-beliefs-public-stances-timeline-republican-desantis-2022-6">pivot toward the right</a> isn't limited to Trump, and that he's invested in helping <keyword id="20093987" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Republicans" source="keywords">Republicans</keyword> hold onto control of the House as well. <h2>The races where Musk's PAC is spending</h2>According to the Monday night filing, Musk's PAC is spending heavily on both digital ads and canvassing operations. In each instance, the PAC is spending an equal amount on boosting the <keyword id="20072488" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GOP" source="keywords">GOP</keyword> candidate and going negative on the Democratic candidate. Here are the 14 races where America PAC is already spending: <ul><li>$296,925 in New York's 17th district, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler faces former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones.</li><li>$264,825 in California's 41st district, where Republican Rep. Ken Calvert faces Democratic candidate Will Rollins.</li><li>$221,875 in California's 45th district, where Republican Rep. Michelle Steel faces Democratic candidate Derek Tran.</li><li>$212,062 in Ohio's 13th district, where Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes faces Republican candidate Kevin Coughlin.</li><li>$172,537 in California's 22nd district, where Republican Rep. David Valadao faces Democratic candidate Rudy Salas.</li><li>$160,125 Ohio's 9th district, where Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur faces Republican candidate Derrick Merrin.</li><li>$157,500 in Maine's 2nd district, where Democratic Rep. Jared Golden faces Republican candidate Austin Theriault.</li><li>$131,323 in New York's 19th district, where Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro faces Democratic candidate Josh Riley.</li><li>$130,500 in Washington's 3rd district, where Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces Republican candidate Joe Kent.</li><li>$109,702 in New Jersey's 7th district, where Republican Rep. Tom Kean faces Democratic candidate Sue Altman.</li><li>$86,997 in New Mexico's 2nd district, where Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez faces former Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell.</li><li>$75,897 in Colorado's 8th district, where Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo faces Republican candidate Gabe Evans.</li><li>$50,903 in Nebraska's 2nd district, where Republican Rep. Don Bacon faces Democratic candidate Tony Vargas.</li><li>$43,853 in Iowa's 3rd district, where Republican Rep. Zach Nunn faces Democratic candidate Lanon Baccam.</li></ul>Correction: September 17, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated which district Rep. Marcy Kaptur represents. She represents the 9th district of Ohio, not the 13th district.

Elon Musk's PAC is pouring millions into these 14 districts to keep the GOP in control of the House

It is a momentous day for the country as we finally enter the vote-counting phase of the <keyword id="20181062" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="2024-Lok-Sabha-election" source="keywords">2024 Lok Sabha election</keyword> process on June 4. The 80-day, seven-phase-long process has been marred with a wide range of issues ranging from weather turmoil to vote tampering and reelections. As the final leg of counting concludes in a few hours, here’s what the vote tallying process looks like, and what is likely to happen after after the final results are announced. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Vote counting" comment="subhead" text="Vote counting"><keyword id="389062" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="vote-counting" source="Orion">Vote counting</keyword></cmsannotation> While the election process takes place in several stages, the vote tallying process is carried out simultaneously in all of the country’s 543 constituencies, with typically one counting centre in each. The tallying is done by a ‘Returning Officer’ and their assistants — officials appointed by the <keyword id="19895876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission-of-India" source="keywords">Election Commission of India</keyword> — in several rounds, or ‘leads’. This year, the counting process began at 8 AM IST on June 4, and is expected to carry on till beyond the afternoon. It will start with the tallying of postal ballots — ballot papers distributed to some categories of people — followed by the <keyword id="21930663" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="EVM-count" source="keywords">EVM count</keyword>. Periodically, the results of the ongoing count are announced to the media and then televised, helping the nation learn of the current political trend. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The counting process for the Lok Sabha Election" comment="subhead" text="The counting process for the Lok Sabha Election">The counting process for the Lok Sabha Election</cmsannotation> Under Rule 54 A of the Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, the process for counting votes starts with postal ballots at the Returning Officer's (RO) table. Thirty minutes into postal ballot counting, Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes can be counted, or immediately if no postal ballots are present. Counting officials must ensure that the EVM's Control Unit (CU) seal is intact and that the total votes match Form 17C before counting. Results from the CU are recorded in Part-II of Form 17C, and verified by the counting supervisor, micro observer, and candidate agents. If the CU's display fails, <keyword id="20991106" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="VVPAT-slips" source="keywords">VVPAT slips</keyword> are counted post-CU counting. Results for each CU are documented and signed in Form 17C, which is then sent for compiling the final result in Form 20. VVPAT slip counting starts after CU votes are counted, with mandatory verification of VVPAT slips from five random polling stations per constituency. If the victory margin is less than the rejected postal ballots, those ballots are re-verified before declaring the result. In case of a tie, the winner is determined by a draw of lots. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Results are announced" comment="subhead" text="Results are announced">Results are announced</cmsannotation> The outcome for each constituency is announced as soon as counting concludes. As per <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>’s counting system, the candidate with the highest number of votes will win for a particular constituency, regardless of whether they are able to manage a majority. These results are generally televised throughout the day. After the <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="election-commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword> of India (ECI) has tallied all 64 crore votes that were cast this year, the constitutional body will announce the results for all 543 seats. Subsequently, if the winning party of the alliance has secured at least 272 seats, the institution’s president will call upon the leader of the winning party to form a government for the next five-year term. If no group is able to achieve a clear majority, political parties may form coalitions to reach the 272 magic number. If all negotiations fail and a “minority government” cannot be formed by the largest party, the President of India may dissolve the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) and announce fresh elections. The next Lok Sabha must be announced before the current term ends on June 16. Most exit polls have indicated another landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, with a third term for Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword>. However, early trends suggest that the Congress-led INDIA bloc is performing far better than expected. Results are expected to be clearer by the afternoon.

What will happen after the election commission finishes counting all Lok Sabha votes?

The <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword> has received eight applications from aggrieved <keyword id="19902220" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="candidates" source="keywords">candidates</keyword>, including those from the <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BJP" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="BJP">BJP</keyword> and the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword>, for verification of tampering or modification in micro-controller chips embedded in the EVMs post declaration of Lok Sabha election results on June 4. Terming the suspicion of manipulation of the electronic voting machines "unfounded", the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> had on April 26 rejected the demand for reverting to the old paper ballot system. But at the same time, the top court had opened a window for the aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places in the poll results and allowed them to seek verification of micro-controller chips embedded in five per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon the payment of a fee to the poll panel. BJP's Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil has sought verification of the machines from 40 <keyword id="20300567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="polling-stations" source="keywords">polling stations</keyword>. Vikhe-Patil had lost to Nilesh Lanke of NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction. A YSRCP and a DMDK candidate too have applied for the verification, according to data shared by the poll panel. According to the EC, eight parliamentary seats spread across six states are involved. The total number of polling stations for which verification has been sought is 92. Candidates who come second or third and seek verification of the EVMs will have to pay Rs 47,200 per EVM set, according to the standard operating procedure issued by the EC on June 1. According to the EC's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the cost submitted by manufacturers BEL and ECIL to carry out EVM "check and verification" is Rs 40,000 (plus 18 per cent GST) per set of EVM. "In addition to the cost incurred by the manufacturers, there are also administrative costs like cost of labour to shift the units, CCTV coverage, electricity charges, videography costs and various other operational costs at the district election officer level," the document said. It, however, said to make the <keyword id="21143428" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="verification-process" source="keywords">verification process</keyword> "more accessible" and inclusive in compliance to the referred mandate of the Supreme Court, it is decided that instead of going purely by the actual economic costs incurred, the administrative expenditure on <keyword id="22122362" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="EVM-verification" source="keywords">EVM verification</keyword> will be treated as "election expenditure and borne by the central or state government, as the case may be". "Accordingly, the administrative charges will be waived for the applicants -- the same shall not be charged to the applicants," it noted. The charges for EVM verification to be paid by the applicant candidate is for the current financial year 2024-25 -- till March 31, 2025, it said. An EVM set has at least one Ballot Unit, one Control Unit and a <keyword id="19975285" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vvpat" source="keywords">VVPAT</keyword> machine. Separately, YSRCP and BJD candidates from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively have also applied for EVM check following the announcement of assembly results on June 4. Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh were held along with the Lok Sabha elections. In the verification exercise for assembly poll results, total assembly constituencies involved are three where verification has been sought in 26 polling stations. According to the SOP, the concerned state chief electoral officer (CEO) was required to communicate to the manufacturers the consolidated list of applicants within 30 days of the date of declaration of results -- by July 4. The CEOs have already conveyed the same to the manufacturers 15 days ahead of the schedule, the EC said. The technical SOP enumerating the methodology and steps for checking and verification of burnt memory/ micro-controller of the EVM units will be issued by the EC in due course.

EC receives applications for EVM verification on 8 LS seats in 6 states

In the 2019 parliamentary polls, voters in Bihar's <keyword id="20327545" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gopalganj" source="keywords">Gopalganj</keyword> had created a record with 51,660 of them, or five per cent, opting for the <keyword id="20335981" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="NOTA" source="keywords">NOTA</keyword> option, which is placed as the last option on the electronic voting machine. As per the latest trends available on the <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Election Commission" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Election Commission">Election Commission</keyword>'s website at 3.15 PM, over 4.62 lakh (0.99 per cent of the total voters opted for NOTA. Out of 61,31,33,300 votes polled in the 2019 polls, 65,14,558 (1.06 per cent) were polled for NOTA. Similarly in 2014 parliamentary elections, out of 55,38,02,946 votes polled, 60,02,942 (1.08 per cent) were polled for NOTA. The <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword> had received a jolt in the <keyword id="19930878" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indore" source="keywords">Indore</keyword> Lok Sabha seat after its candidate <keyword id="21466595" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="akshay-kanti-bam" source="keywords">Akshay Kanti Bam</keyword> withdrew his nomination on April 29, the last date for the withdrawal of nominations. Bam later joined the <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BJP" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="BJP">BJP</keyword>, prompting the Congress to appeal to the people to press the NOTA option on EVMs during polling in Indore on May 13. Former Chief Election Commissioner O P <keyword id="19965032" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rawat" source="keywords">Rawat</keyword> had recently described NOTA as having a "symbolic" impact and had said if it gets more than 50 per cent votes in a seat, only then making it legally effective on poll results could be considered. Rawat had also told PTI that if 99 out of 100 votes go in favour of NOTA option and someone gets one vote, even then the canidate will emerge victorious. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Indore recorded 69 per cent turnout with 5,045 voters opting for NOTA. Rawat said, "In the present situation, NOTA has only symbolic significance and it cannot have an impact on the election result of any seat." "More than 50 per cent electors will have to once opt for NOTA in a seat to show the political community that they do not consider candidates with criminal background or other undeserving ones worthy of their votes. Only after this, pressure on Parliament and the Election Commission will increase and they will have to think about changing laws to make NOTA effective on the election results," he said.

With 2.18 lakh voters, NOTA creates record in Madhya Pradesh's Indore seat

Citing the Conduct of <keyword id="19895095" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="election" source="keywords">Election</keyword> Rules, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Monday said the <keyword id="21922459" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="count" source="keywords">count</keyword> of <keyword id="20105752" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="postal-ballots" source="keywords">postal ballots</keyword> will start first across all counting centres and asserted that there was "no doubt about it". Responding to questions at a press conference here, he said after half-an-hour of the start of the postal ballot count, the counting of votes recorded in the electronic voting machines will commence. A delegation of the opposition parties had on Sunday met the Commission to demand that postal ballot count should start first and the results of postal ballots should be announced first. "Rules clearly state (Rule 54A) that postal ballot count will start first. On all centres in the country it will start first, no doubt about it. After half-an-hour we start the <keyword id="20041623" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="EVM" source="keywords">EVM</keyword> count. So, there are three countings which are happening simultaneously - it happened in the 2019 elections, it happened in all the assembly polls held thereafter. It happened yesterday also in case of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim assembly (vote count). We can't change anything mid course. Why can't we change, because it is compliant with the rules," he said. He said the postal ballot count and then the EVM count and finally the marching of VVPT slips with EVM results will continue. In majority of the booths, the number of postal ballot is less. It will automatically end first, he pointed out. Since 2019, VVPAT (paper-trail machine) slips from five randomly selected polling stations per assembly constituency (or segment in cases of <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> seats) are matched with the EVM count for greater transparency.

Count of postal ballots will commence first: CEC

It takes an Oscar-worthy director to come up with the juicy drama that somehow seems to pervade India’s pre-general election seasons. Amid all the chaos, a political hot topic has just witnessed a major development: the electoral bonds row. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What are electoral bonds?" comment="subhead" text="What are electoral bonds?">What are electoral bonds?</cmsannotation> For those unversed in the whole episode, the government introduced the <keyword id="4697813" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="electoral-bond" source="Orion">Electoral Bond</keyword> Scheme via the Finance Act of 2016-2017, allowing anyone to anonymously make an indefinite number of non-capped donations to their preferred political parties. Before this scheme, all donations above Rs 20,000 had to be explicitly made public, and donations of more than a certain percentage of the company’s revenue were disallowed. Such restrictions were meant to ensure that no political party had an unfair monetary advantage over the others and that the policies would not be influenced by the rich. Therefore, many experts were concerned that this new lack of transparency in the donation process opened up a gaping avenue for big corporations to donate for favourable outcomes from the ruling regime in terms of acquiring licences, government contracts, leases, and even accelerating favourable policy changes. The government insists that the measure ensures transparency as the purchaser would be allowed to buy bonds only on due fulfilment of all the extant KYC norms and by making payment from a bank account. However, the opposition parties kept raising objections, with the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="congress" source="keywords">Congress</keyword> leader Rahul Gandhi terming the electoral bond scheme as a legalisation of the process of accepting bribes and commissions. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How did the Supreme Court step in?" comment="subhead" text="How did the Supreme Court step in?">How did the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> step in?</cmsannotation> Recently, in a move that many celebrated as a major win for transparent and fair electoral practices, a Constitution Bench panel of five Supreme Court judges scrapped the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme on February 15, deeming that the whole ordeal was “unconstitutional” to begin with. Subsequently, the <keyword id="19934368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-bank-of-india" source="keywords">State Bank of India</keyword> (<keyword id="19898108" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sbi" source="keywords">SBI</keyword>) was ordered to disclose all details of the donors that had purchased electoral bonds, the amount purchased, and the recipients of these “support” donations. Nearly a month after the directive, SBI finally submitted the electoral data to the <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="election-commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword> on March 13, after the apex court denied its application for more time. The bank attributed the delay in compiling the information to the non-digital nature of the way electoral data was collected and stored, making it harder to collate and produce. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What does the data reveal?" comment="subhead" text="What does the data reveal?">What does the data reveal?</cmsannotation> The data published by the Election Commission based on SBI’s affidavit revealed information on over 22,217 electoral bonds purchased between April 1, 2019 and February 1, 2024. This also means there exists a year’s worth of data missing from the first year of the electoral bonds scheme, amounting to hundreds of crores of Rupees. Further, the very content of the data remains lacklustre, many experts maintain. The problem is that individual electoral bonds do not have their serial numbers attached. This makes it impossible to accurately ascertain who these bonds were directed to, meaning we still do not know which corporations donated how much to which parties. Condemning the SBI for not divulging the unique serial numbers as per its previous full-disclosure directive, the Supreme Court has now issued a notice for a prompt response by March 18. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Which political party benefited the most?" comment="subhead" text="Which political party benefited the most?">Which political party benefited the most?</cmsannotation> While many political parties benefited from this scheme, the Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bjp" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>) encashed about 1,300 crores worth of electoral bonds during the 2023 financial year, according to media reports. This amounted to about half of the total electoral bond donations, and more than seven times the amount Congress received during the same period. Out of a total of 12,155 crores worth of electoral bonds purchased between 2019 and 2024, BJP redeemed Rs 6061 crores, followed by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress at Rs 1610 crores. A total of 213 donors purchased bonds worth over Rs 10 crores, with the top 20 donors accounting for nearly half of the total electoral bonds. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Are scams hiding behind the electoral bonds?" comment="subhead" text="Are scams hiding behind the electoral bonds?">Are scams hiding behind the electoral bonds?</cmsannotation> The ruling party receiving such a disproportionate share of the electoral bonds has raised many eyebrows. Rajya Sabha Minister Kapil Sibal expressed discontent with the SBI report, calling it a “scam” and explaining that it needs thorough investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur emphasised that a comprehensive study is essential to ascertain the true extent to which companies might have their money to get favour from the central government. Many Congress leaders, such as Manickam Tagore and Jairam Ramesh, also held that it was suspicious that only companies that donated funds to the BJP were given projects and contracts. The other problem is the fact that several of the big purchasers have been consistently under the radar of central agencies, facing frequent raids. This includes the top donor, Lottery company Future Gaming and Hotel Services, led by “Lottery King” Santago Martin, who donated a whopping Rs 1,368 crores. Many others also concern that large corporations may have donated money through shell corporations, in order to hide their involvement in any political favouritism. Congress MP Manish Tewari asked for a Supreme Court order to “lift” this corporate veil of shell companies to reveal the true purchasers of the bonds. Further, as per a Mint analysis, several donor companies who contributed massive amounts were found to be ‘inactive’, and thus the true details of the donors were not transparent at all. According to their report, this included entities such as Rungta Sons, SN Mohanty, Sasmal Infrastructure Private Limited, Avees Trading Finance, and others, whose collective contributions amount to hundreds of crores of Rupees. The official electoral bond data can be accessed via the <a href="https://www.eci.gov.in/candidate-politicalparty" data-type="tilCustomLink">Election Commission of India website</a>.

You Searched For "Election Commission" and got 8 results

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