logo
Co-op authority holds 1st consultative meet over free and fair polls

Co-op authority holds 1st consultative meet over free and fair polls

Time of India3 days ago
NEW DELHI: The Cooperative Election Authority Monday held its first consultative meeting with state cooperative election bodies, where the issue of whether EVMs can be used in cooperative polls was discussed, among others.
The discussions, held to develop a mechanism to hold free and fair elections in cooperative societies, also took up matters relating to framing of a code of conduct for contesting candidates and Multi-State Cooperative Societies and fixing of an upper limit of expenditure for contesting candidates.
The Cooperative Election Authority, notified in Mar last year as part of multiple reforms in the cooperative sector, has so far conducted 159 elections and is in the process of conducting 69 more cooperative elections. The meeting, helmed by CEA chairperson Devendra Kumar Singh, saw participation of the state poll commissioners from Odisha, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Vote theft': Unease in BJD ranks as party protests, but at a distance from INDIA
‘Vote theft': Unease in BJD ranks as party protests, but at a distance from INDIA

Indian Express

time9 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

‘Vote theft': Unease in BJD ranks as party protests, but at a distance from INDIA

While the 'vote theft' allegations levelled against the BJP by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have seemingly galvanised the Opposition, the absence of the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) from the August 11 protest march to the Election Commission's office has raised eyebrows in Odisha's political circles. Party insiders said BJD MPs were neither asked to join the protest nor issue 'adverse comments', sending out the impression that the party was not in the mood to adopt a confrontational approach towards the BJP's central leadership. The BJD's move to stay away from the protest has baffled party leaders also because Patnaik was the first leader to approach the EC over alleged 'discrepancies' in last year's simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha. Many BJD leaders believe that such a stance demotivates grassroots-level cadre. 'After the 2024 loss, we decided to be a strong and vibrant Opposition, and stop extending issue-based support to the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre. Our activities are raising suspicions among the people,' said a senior BJD leader on the condition of anonymity. Even as the party said it would move the Orissa High Court against the EC on the issue, another BJD leader said that the party had met the poll panel twice with 'fact-based evidence' of discrepancies in the 2024 poll process. 'When the Opposition united on the issue, we chose to remain silent. Who will believe that we are in the Opposition and are against the BJP?' the leader asked. In its petition submitted to the EC last December, the BJD had flagged three major concerns – the 'difference' between the total votes polled at each booth and the number of votes counted in the corresponding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the difference in the votes cast for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections despite them being held simultaneously, and the 'huge difference' between voter turnouts released on polling day and the final figure, which the EC released two days later. According to BJD spokesperson Amar Patnaik, the difference between turnouts ranged between 15% and 30% in half of the 147 Assembly seats. 'We submitted facts-based evidence to the EC eight months ago but are yet to get a satisfactory reply from them,' he added. The BJD has also alleged that the EC refused to provide Form 17C – which records voter turnout for each polling booth – citing the sub-judice nature of the petitions related to the elections. However, claiming that petitions have been filed only with regard to 28 Assembly seats, Amar Patnaik asked, 'Why has the EC not provided Form 17C of other constituencies?' On Gandhi's 'vote theft' allegations, the BJD spokesperson said that his party had already been demanding an independent audit of the electoral process and that the Congress was just echoing their views. The latest unease comes close on the heels of the BJD grappling with a 'rebellion' in the wake of a change in the party's stand over the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, which was passed by both Houses of Parliament. While Patnaik and the BJD had been vocal on their opposition to the Waqf Bill repeatedly, the party shifted its stand just ahead of the voting for the Bill, deciding not to issue a whip and leave voting to its individual party MPs as per their 'conscience'. The BJD does not have any MP in the Lok Sabha. Of the BJD's seven MPs in the Upper House, three voted for the Bill and three against it, with Debashish Samantaray abstaining. Reacting to the issue, Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati said 'the fear of agencies is forcing the BJD to stay mum' while a BJP leader said Patnaik's party was best placed to answer why it did not join the Opposition's protest. Patnaik is seemingly facing another tricky situation with regard to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. With the party yet to make its stand clear on the EC's decision to hold the exercise across the country, the Congress has latched on to the issue and accused the BJD of 'going soft' on the BJP. All eyes are now on the approach that the BJD takes towards the September 9 election to choose the next Vice-President after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21.

The Hindu Morning Digest: August 15, 2025
The Hindu Morning Digest: August 15, 2025

The Hindu

time41 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

The Hindu Morning Digest: August 15, 2025

Got caught up in sharp contests among political parties: ECI to Supreme Court The Election Commission of India (ECI) told the Supreme Court on Thursday (August 14, 2025) that it got 'caught up' in the 'sharp contests' among political parties. Appearing before a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, for the ECI, pointed to the allegations raised against it about EVMs, and now the portrayal of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar as 'citizenship screening'. India endorses Trump-Putin summit in Alaska The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday (August 14, 2025) 'endorsed' the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which could also decide the course of the tariffs the U.S. has imposed on India. Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said India stood ready to support peace efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, and stated India-U.S. relations will move ahead based on 'mutual respect and shared interests'. Donald Trump thinks Vladimir Putin is ready to make a deal on Ukraine U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (August 14, 2025) he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a deal about his war on Ukraine, and that the threat of sanctions against Russia likely played a role in Moscow's decision to seek a meeting. Mr. Trump is scheduled to meet with Mr. Putin in Alaska on Friday (August 15, 2025). The U.S. President said he is unsure whether an immediate ceasefire can be achieved, but expressed interest in brokering a peace agreement. Rajnath hails Operation Sindoor as model of precision, self-reliance on eve of Independence Day On the eve of India's 79th Independence Day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised Operation Sindoor as a 'precise and balanced' military response that highlighted India's 'new vision'. In his message to the armed forces on Thursday (August 14, 2025), he said the operation showcased India's new vision, technological advances, self-reliance, use of drones, layered air defence, electronic warfare, and network-centric operations. He said without crossing the Line of Control or harming civilians, the armed forces destroyed nine major terror camps, including those of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, within minutes. Bihar SIR: Rationalisation of polling stations, change in BLOs spark confusion on ground Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has carried out rationalisation and reorganisation of polling stations in the entire State, a move which political parties claim has added to the confusion on the ground. The ECI has said that Bihar is the first State to implement this new ceiling of voters for each polling station. Rahul Gandhi accused of making false statements in Savarkar defamation proceedings A perjury application has been filed in the Special MP/MLA Court in Pune against Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of misleading the court in a defamation case over his remarks on Vinayak Damodar 'Veer' Savarkar, made in London. The application has been filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Veer Savarkar, through advocate Sangram Kolhatkar. It alleges that Mr. Gandhi falsely claimed in a 15-page pursis, or statement to the court, on July 29 that he had not received the defamatory video which forms the crux of the complaint. The plea states that Mr. Gandhi's advocate had acknowledged receipt of the documents, including a CD containing the speech, on May 9. India and U.S. to hold joint military exercise in Alaska this month, says MEA Amid trade uncertainties, India and United States will hold a joint military exercise in Alaska this month. According on Ministry of External Affairs, the India–U.S. defence partnership, underpinned by foundational defence agreements, is an important pillar of the bilateral partnership. This robust cooperation has strengthened across all domains. Bombay High Court to hear plea alleging threats to north Indians by Raj Thackeray, MNS A criminal writ petition has been filed on Thursday in the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra government, the Mumbai Commissioner of Police, the Election Commission, and MNS chief Raj Thackeray. The petition filed by Sunil Shukla, national president of the Uttar Bhartiya Vikas Sena, a political party, alleges that he and the north Indian community in Maharashtra have been subjected to repeated incidents of hate speech, targeted violence, and serious threats to their lives and liberty. 11K security personnel, snipers on high-rises to keep Delhi safe on I-Day A day before the country celebrates its 78th Independence Day, security measures in the Capital were stepped up with snipers being deployed at high-rise buildings and camera surveillance being increased across the city. 11,000 security personnel and 3,000 traffic police have been posted for security in and around the Red Fort, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Friday. At least 40 dead in Sudan's worst cholera outbreak in years: Doctors Without Borders Cholera has claimed at least 40 lives in Sudan's Darfur region over the last week as the country weathers its worst outbreak of the illness in years, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday. The medical charity said the vast western region, which has been a major battleground over more than two years of fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, had been hardest hit by the year-old outbreak. BJP is stealing rights of tribals by 'erasing papers', says Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Thursday (August 14, 2025) said that the Bharatiya Janata Party had made 'Erase the papers, steal the rights' its new 'weapon to oppress Bahujans' in India, reacting to a report in The Hindu that showed several thousands of forest rights titles across three districts had seemingly disappeared from the Chhattisgarh government's records over the last 17 months. Uncertainty looms over Devil release after actor Darshan's arrest 'Idre Nemdi Agirbek'(You should be at peace always), the first song from Kannada actor Darshan's upcoming film, Devil, was supposed to release on Independence Day. Ironically, on Thursday, Darshan's career hit the pause button again after he was arrested in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case, following the Supreme Court order cancelling the bail granted to him and the other accused. Chennai Grandmasters | Keymer seals title with a miraculous draw Vincent Keymer didn't appear to be at his serene best. His eighth-round game against Dutchman Jorden van Foreest was heading for an exciting finish and the German was close to suffering his first defeat in the Masters section of the Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters chess tournament.

India to set data standards for developed nations to follow: CEA
India to set data standards for developed nations to follow: CEA

Time of India

time7 hours ago

  • Time of India

India to set data standards for developed nations to follow: CEA

New Delhi: India will soon set the global standards and benchmark in data, chief economic adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran said on Thursday. "We are now going to be able to set the benchmark for developed countries to follow" the CEA said, pointing to concerns over data quality worldwide. Independence Day 2025 Before Trump, British used tariffs to kill Indian textile Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji gave India its own currency Swadeshi 2.0: India is no longer just a market, it's a maker Recently, US President Donald Trump fired the labour statistics chief for publishing inaccurate jobs numbers. In the UK, the statistical authority has called for structural reforms within the organisation. Speaking at a sensitisation and review meeting with statistical advisers of ministries and government departments organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Nageswaran noted the importance of generating timely, credible and user-friendly data. "It goes without saying that data and statistics are fundamental to an efficient or informed decision-making process, whether in a corporate setup or government institution," he said. Speaking at the meeting, former Capacity Building Commission chairman Adil Zainulbhai said: "We have an opportunity to upgrade enough for our data systems to become gold standard for the world." He highlighted the need to leverage technology for this purpose across ministries and departments. With an aim to make data more robust, the statistics ministry will come up with a Service Production Index , like the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) that tracks industrial activity in India.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store