Latest news with #ElectionCommissionofIndia
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Abbas Ansari disqualified from UP Assembly
Abbas Ansari, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Mau Sadar assembly constituency who was sentenced to two years' imprisonment in a 2022 hate speech case by a special court on Saturday, has been disqualified from Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly. Abbas is the son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari who died last year. According to a notification issued by the UP legislative assembly on Sunday, Mau Sadar MLA Abbas Ansari is disqualified from May 31, 2025 as per Election Commission of India letter no. 509/Gen/2015/RCC, dated 13.10.2015 and order dated July 10, 2013 passed by the Supreme Court. Principal secretary, Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly, Pradeep Dubey said with the disqualification of Abbas Ansari, the Mau Sadar seat has been declared vacant. The Election Commission of India has been informed about the vacancy and the poll panel will issue a notification for holding the election, he said. The court of chief judicial magistrate (MP-MLA), Mau, Dr KP Singh, on Saturday sentenced Abbas Ansari to two years' imprisonment in a case of violation of election code of conduct and hate speech during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls in 2022. The Special MP/MLA court had convicted and sentenced Ansari to imprisonment of two years each under IPC sections 189 and 153-A, one year under section 506 and six months imprisonment under section 171-F. The court ordered that all the sentences will run simultaneously. Abbas's accomplice Mansoor Ansari was sentenced to six months' simple imprisonment under IPC section 120-B in the case and a fine of ₹1000 was imposed on him. Abbas Ansari, who was contesting 2022 assembly election as an SBSP candidate from Mau Sadar seat, had threatened officials of Mau administration during a public meeting at Paharpur ground of the city, saying he will 'settle scores and teach them a lesson' after the elections.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
EC to cancel EPIC of Afghan nationals living illegally in Patna house
Lucknow: Following TOI's May 29 report about a house in Patna that allegedly became a hotbed for immigrants with multiple fake Indian identity cards, the Election Commission of India is set to remove their elector's photo identity card (EPIC) from the electoral roll. The move is significant as Bihar assembly polls are around the corner. Jandullah Dad Mohammad, an Afghan national from Paktika province, was living at Patna's Wakil Anwer House, impersonating as Rehan, son of Kabir, alongside his brother Mansur. After entering India on a six-day medical visa in December 2019, Jandullah went off the radar in Delhi. By 2020, he had managed to obtain a complete set of fake Indian identity documents. His EPIC (AFS3853934), Indian passport (C6978659), Aadhaar card (322874855132), PAN card (ETXPR8222K), driving license (BR0120210005369), SBI bank passbook (39914603822), Patna Municipal Corporation issued birth certificate (B-2019 10-90097 025254), and even a ration card painted a convincing picture of an Indian citizen. "We are now preparing to revoke the EPIC issued in the name of Rehan," said electoral registration officer (ERO) Raghvendra Pratap Singh. The accused foreign national is currently lodged in Lucknow jail after being caught by the Bureau of Immigration from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport on May 19. The ECI's consolidated electoral list, published on Jan 7, 2025, under a special summary revision, revealed that the Wakil Anwer House has 12 male occupants, all in their 20s and 30s except one, with no women registered. At least four of them shared identical details: Same age, same father's name (Kabir), and EPICs. Kabir's real identity has been established as Dad Mohammad Khan. His elder son Mansur, who left for Dubai more than six months ago, is registered in electoral roll with two EPICs AFS4130290, AFS4127999. Another resident, Mohammad Sher Khan, also had dual EPICs AFS4129953 and AFS4125266. "Currently, Kabir is missing from Wakil Anwer House, with no confirmation of his existence, though locals confirm his presence in Patna 7-8 years ago. We have cancelled Mansur's and Mohammad Sher Khan's EPICs... One individual cannot have two EPICs," said ERO Raghvendra. He added, "The owner of Wakil Anwer House has not returned to Patna from New Delhi till date. He has now assured to be back around June 9, following which he would furnish details of everyone living in his property."
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Committee set up in Ludhiana to handle election seizures
LUDHIANA: In view of the upcoming Ludhiana West by-election and following the instructions in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Election Commission of India, the district administration of Ludhiana has constituted a four-member committee. This committee is tasked with handling cases related to the seizure of cash and other materials by flying squad teams (FST), static surveillance teams (SST), and excise teams to strictly enforce the Model Code of Conduct, according to an official statement. As per the statement, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) Amarjit Bains has been appointed as the chairman of the committee. District Treasury Officer Arun Kumar , ACFA Rakesh Kansal, and SO Shivinder Singh are its members. The statement further explained that, as per guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the committee will make decisions regarding the seizure and release of cash and other items confiscated during checks to avoid inconvenience to the general public. Election officials stated that the committee would examine each case of seizure by the police, FST, and SST on its own initiative. Upon confirming that the confiscated material was not linked to any political party or candidate, the committee would issue orders for the release of such seizures. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เทรดทองCFDs กับโบรกเกอร์ที่เชื่อถือได้ | เรียนรู้เพิ่มเติม IC Markets สมัคร Undo They added that if a concerned person presented any proof legitimising the seizure, the committee would decide on the release of such cash or other impounded material. Notably, carrying up to Rs 50,000 in cash requires no documentation. However, amounts between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh must be accompanied by valid proof, while cash exceeding Rs 10 lakh, even with documentation, will be reported to the Income Tax Department for further scrutiny by the seizing teams.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
I have got my freedom and party can move forward: Anbumani Ramadoss
A day after PMK founder S. Ramadoss lamented that making his son Anbumani Ramadoss a Union Minister at 35 was a mistake, the latter responded by saying: 'I have got my freedom since yesterday.' Addressing a meeting of party office-bearers from Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, and Vellore districts at a private banquet hall in Sholinganallur, Dr. Anbumani reiterated that all appointments made within the party, including president, general secretary, and treasurer, could only be made by the party's general council. [Dr. Ramadoss had earlier said he was taking over as 'president' while his son would be the 'working president' of the party.] 'I have been mentally stressed since the day I became party president. I got my freedom yesterday. From today, we can move forward with speed. At the same time, we will follow the policies and ideologies of Dr. Ayya (Ramadoss). Our immediate goal is to strengthen our party. Our alliance should get a massive victory. Then, we should come to power in Tamil Nadu,' he said. Referring to letters being circulated for the removal of office-bearers and appointment of new ones, Dr. Anbumani said: 'We have been appointed by the general body, and you are the general body. Today, there was a letter saying that Thilagabama has been removed as the treasurer. I announced immediately that she would continue as the party's treasurer, because neither I nor anyone else has the power to remove her from the post.' He added: 'The president, general secretary, and treasurer are elected by the general council of the party. This is given in the party's by-laws, which were registered with the Election Commission of India.' Dr. Anbumani further presented a letter to an office-bearer, who was reportedly removed from the post of district secretary. 'Nobody can change you. Only the party president can remove you. Only this letter is valid.' He further underlined that the decision taken purportedly by Dr. Ramadoss to ally with the AIADMK and the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election as the reason why the party couldn't sustain the momentum gained by the 'Maatram Munnetram Anbumani' campaign of party, which positioned Dr. Anbumani as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate. 'If we had done the same campaign again in 2019, we would have been in power now. We couldn't do it then. You all know why...I don't want to talk about it now,' he said. Reacting to Dr. Ramadoss' accusation that Dr. Anbumani attacked his mother during an argument, he said: 'I have faced a lot of sorrows and insults and carried unthinkable allegations in my life. It has only made me stronger and mature. I love my mother very much, and she likes me the most. I will not allow even a scratch on her. I will overcome that (allegation) as well. The district secretaries and presidents don't have to worry about being removed. If you get a letter removing you, you will get another confirming your appointment within 10 minutes. We have to take the party to the next level,' he said. He urged office-bearers to undertake a membership drive across Tamil Nadu. MLA backtracks In a related development, PMK MLA from Salem West R. Arul, who announced that he would resign from his post on Friday, withdrew his decision on the advice of Dr. Ramadoss. After making the announcement, Mr. Arul met Dr. Ramadoss at his Thailapuram residence in Villupuram district. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Arul said the PMK founder asked him not to resign. Besides, Dr. Anbumani's close aides asked him not to step down as MLA, he added. Meanwhile, PMK MLA from Mettur constituency S. Sathasivam told journalists that it was up to Mr. Arul to decide what he wanted to do. 'We do not know whether Mr. Ramadoss accepts this decision. I am participating in the meeting convened by Mr. Anbumani in Chennai on Saturday,' he said.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
ECI plans to redefine voting with major initiatives
New Delhi: In a sweeping drive to strengthen electoral management and improve voter facilitation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out 21 major initiatives over the past 100 days. The reforms, introduced under the leadership of the 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, showcase a big strategic push for several areas. These include procedural clarity, technological integration, and stakeholder inclusivity in the electoral process, say EC sources. These steps were charted out during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) held in March 2025. Election Commissioners (ECs) Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi were also present on that occasion. The initiatives represent a 'purposeful, pragmatic, and proactive' approach in the first 100 days of the new CEC's tenure, added the sources. One of the key measures includes reducing the maximum number of voters per polling station from 1,500 to 1,200. The purpose is to reduce congestion and ensure a smoother voting experience. To further improve access, additional polling booths will be established in densely populated areas, particularly in gated communities and high-rise buildings, so that no voter has to travel more than 2 km to cast their vote.
