logo
Vice-Presidential polls set in motion: ECI issues notification, voting on September 9

Vice-Presidential polls set in motion: ECI issues notification, voting on September 9

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially issued a notification on 7 August 2025, setting the ball rolling for the Vice-Presidential election. The process follows the provisions of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and comes in the wake of Jagdeep Dhankhars resignation from the post last month.
As per the notification, interested candidates can file their nominations between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. on any working day up to 21 August 2025. Nominations must be submitted at the Office of the Returning Officer, Room No. RS-28, First Floor, Parliament House, New Delhi.
The scrutiny of nominations will take place on August 22 at 11 A.M. in Room No. F-100 (Sangoshthi-2), while the last date for withdrawing candidature is August 25. If necessary, polling will be held on September 9 between 10 A.M. and 5 P.M. in Room No. F-101 (Vasudha), First Floor, Parliament House.
Candidates are required to submit a security deposit of Rs 15,000, either in cash with the Returning Officer or through the RBI/Government Treasury. The nomination paper must be accompanied by a certified copy of the candidates entry in the electoral roll and the deposit receipt. Nomination forms are available at the RO's office during working hours.
The election, which will be the 17th Vice-Presidential election in India, will be decided by an Electoral College comprising members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Akhilesh takes torch against EC forward
Akhilesh takes torch against EC forward

New Indian Express

time39 minutes ago

  • New Indian Express

Akhilesh takes torch against EC forward

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has mounted a sharp challenge against the Election Commission of India (ECI). His move coincides with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, a 16-day, 1,300 km campaign through more than 20 districts. The SP has doubled down on its 'vote chori' allegations, accusing the EC of hiding facts. When Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar denied receiving affidavits on voter fraud from Uttar Pradesh, Yadav demanded that the poll body itself submit an affidavit to back its claim. 'If the EC says it has not received our affidavits, what about the receipts we hold?' he asked. Karikot carves a niche for itself in rural tourism Karikot, a village near the India-Nepal border in UP's Bahraich district, has become a beacon for rural tourism. Its recognition by the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, India Foundation Award 2025, has placed it on the global map. To be conferred in New Delhi on Sept 13 at the BLTM Trade Show, the award honours community-driven models. The villagers, with the backing of the tourism department, have opened homestays and launched border tourism projects. Women and youth have gained livelihoods through showcasing cuisine, crafts, and folk traditions. The Tharu tribal community's involvement has been crucial.

28 new initiatives launched says ECI; backs actions amid Bihar row
28 new initiatives launched says ECI; backs actions amid Bihar row

Hindustan Times

timean hour ago

  • Hindustan Times

28 new initiatives launched says ECI; backs actions amid Bihar row

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday said it has undertaken 28 initiatives in the past six months to streamline electoral processes and strengthen systems. Officials said that despite disruptions and deviations created by opposition parties, the Commission is continuing with its reform agenda. 28 new initiatives launched says ECI; backs actions amid Bihar row The announcement comes at a time when the ECI is under opposition criticism over large-scale deletions in Bihar's electoral rolls. The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions on the issue. The Commission, however, said its focus remains on the 'purity of rolls' and no eligible voter will be left out. According to the Commission, the new measures are grouped under stakeholder engagement, cleanup of systems, use of technology, roll purification, ease of voting, and capacity building. As part of stakeholder engagement, officials said 4,719 all-party meetings have been conducted involving over 28,000 representatives. The Commission also held 20 meetings with presidents and senior leaders of political parties. Under cleanup measures, 476 inactive registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs) were identified for delisting, with 334 already removed. Identity cards have been issued to booth level officers (BLOs) to strengthen transparency, and new procedures drawn up for checking microcontrollers in five percent of electronic voting machines (EVMs) after results. In Bihar, where the Special Intensive Revision is underway, the ECI said voter lists are being purified to remove ineligible names while ensuring no genuine voter is excluded. It has also begun linking death registration data with rolls to ensure timely deletions and has eliminated duplicate electoral photo identity card (EPIC) numbers nationwide. On technology, the Commission has rolled out ECINET, a single digital platform combining over 40 apps and websites. It also mandated 100 percent webcasting at polling stations and real-time voter turnout updates every two hours. Voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips will now be counted in every case of mismatch with EVM data. Other measures include capping voter strength at 1,200 per polling station, mobile deposit counters at polling booths, enhanced training for booth-level staff and agents, and higher remuneration for election personnel.

S Y Quraishi writes: For EC, a return to transparency is not just desirable — it is necessary
S Y Quraishi writes: For EC, a return to transparency is not just desirable — it is necessary

Indian Express

time2 hours ago

  • Indian Express

S Y Quraishi writes: For EC, a return to transparency is not just desirable — it is necessary

Free and fair elections are the lifeblood of a democracy, and the electoral roll is its very foundation. Without an accurate, inclusive and credible roll, the process risks being undermined at its very start. In a country as large and diverse as India, where the electorate exceeds 960 million, the preparation and continuous updating of electoral rolls is an extraordinary logistical and democratic exercise. It is through these rolls that the principle of 'one person, one vote' is given practical shape. The Election Commission of India (ECI), constitutionally mandated to conduct free and fair elections, has over the decades placed emphasis on the integrity of the electoral roll. The Supreme Court has repeatedly underscored this, holding that free and fair elections form part of the basic structure of the Constitution, and that accurate voter lists are integral to that process. Transparency has long been the ECI's guiding principle. From making draft rolls publicly available for claims and objections, to deploying technology for online search, to inviting political parties and civil society to participate in verification drives, the ECI has tried to keep the process open to scrutiny. For decades, this openness was a source of immense public trust. Surveys by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) through the 1990s and 2000s consistently found trust levels in the ECI to be among the highest for any public institution, often exceeding 75-80 per cent. This trust was earned through visible impartiality, procedural fairness, and innovations that enhanced both access and credibility. One of the most remarkable exercises in electoral roll management was undertaken under the leadership of CEC N Gopalaswami in the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The ECI, then concerned about inflated rolls and the potential for bogus voting, introduced an innovative method to deal with the problem of 'SAD' voters — an acronym for Shifted, Absent, or Dead voters. Instead of deleting these names, which could have led to controversy or large-scale disenfranchisement, the ECI prepared a separate list of such voters for each polling station, based on door-to-door verification. These lists were handed over to the presiding officers, who were tasked to do a thorough check when such voters came and record how many of them actually turned up to vote. The result was telling: In most constituencies, only 2-3 per cent of these SAD voters appeared at the polling station. (This practice was followed up in other states, too, but the result was not the same. In Gujarat, about 24 per cent of the voters from the SAD list turned up.) With the list in the hands of the presiding officers, impersonation became impossible. The exercise virtually eliminated bogus voting and was hailed as a 'thundering success' — a practical demonstration of how field innovation, without disenfranchising anyone, could protect the purity of the poll. From 2011 onwards, the ECI began marking National Voters' Day on January 25. The idea was twofold: To celebrate the democratic spirit and to focus public attention on voter enrolment and participation, especially of the young. Each year, a new theme has reinforced the centrality of the voter: Greater Participation for a Stronger Democracy (2011 and 2012). Inclusive and Qualitative Participation (2013). Ethical Voting (2014). Easy Registration, Easy Correction (2015). Inclusive and Qualitative Participation (2016). Empowering Young and Future Voters (2017). Accessible Elections (2018). No Voter to be Left Behind (2019). Electoral Literacy and Making Our Voters Empowered, Vigilant, Safe and Informed (2020 and 2021). Making Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative (2022). Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure (2023). Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure — Every Voter Matters (2024, 2025). Running through these years is a clear institutional message: Every single voter counts, and no eligible citizen should be excluded for want of opportunity or access. The current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar is ostensibly part of this tradition. Through the SIR, the ECI aims to capture new voters, correct errors, and remove ineligible names through a de novo process. Around 2003-4, the ECI had taken a decision to stop making voter rolls de novo as by then most state rolls had been digitised and electronic voter cards distributed. This practice was followed by successive Commissions. Even the present Commission conducted the 2024 general elections with a summary revision, which meant that the existent rolls were cross-checked by door-to-door visits and additions and deletions made. What was valid till 2024 has suddenly become wrong. Were the Commissions in the last two decades less wise? The trust the ECI once commanded almost unquestioningly is now under greater public scrutiny. Allegations of executive overreach, perceived inaction in the face of violations, and reduced transparency have prompted debates about whether the institution is as fiercely independent as before. While the procedural architecture for transparency — such as draft roll publication, booth-level officer verification, and stakeholder consultation — remains in place, the perception of impartiality is as important as its reality. Reinforcing this trust is as crucial as ensuring technical accuracy. In the current SIR, the Commission has released a granular breakdown of deletions: About 65 lakh names removed, including 22 lakh deceased voters, 36 lakh permanently shifted or untraceable individuals, and 7 lakh duplicates. This precision in identifying and removing inaccuracies is laudable. However, the number of new voters added after this clean-up has not been made public — leaving an incomplete picture of the revision's net effect. That is a serious omission, as the addition of bogus voters is a perennial complaint. The SC issued a landmark interim order on August 14, directing the ECI to publicly disclose the names and reasons for exclusion of approximately 65 lakh voters removed from Bihar's draft rolls. The names must be published within 48 hours, through multiple platforms — including district electoral websites, public notice boards, and newspapers, radio, and television. This directive aims to enhance transparency, prevent voter disenfranchisement and ensure accountability in electoral roll revisions — critical to preserving public trust ahead of the Bihar elections. The Court clarified it was not curtailing the ECI's authority to conduct revisions but underscored that such authority must be exercised transparently. It emphasised that citizens should not depend on intermediaries or political agents to know whether their names were removed. Public access is fundamental to democratic accountability. For an organisation that has built its reputation as one of the most respected election management bodies in the world, returning to its fullest, most uncompromising version of transparency is not just desirable — it is necessary for the preservation of democratic trust. If the ECI truly believes 'every vote matters', it must prove it by showing every voter it has added — not just every name it has removed, and every duplicate voter it has detected. The writer is former Chief Election Commissioner of India and author of An Undocumented Wonder — The Making of the Great Indian Election

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