Latest news with #ElectoralRegistrationOfficers
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala's Delimitation Commission issues final notification on ward restructuring in municipalities and Corporations
The State Delimitation Commission has issued the final notification on the ward delimitation carried out in the 86 municipalities and six Corporations in Kerala. With this, the first phase of the ward delimitation exercise in local bodies is over. The decision was finalised by the Commission headed by A. Shajahan, who is also the State Election Commissioner. The Kerala government had earlier issued a notification revising the number of wards in the municipalities and Corporations. As per that decision, municipalities should have a minimum of 26 wards and a maximum of 53. In Corporations, it was fixed as, respectively, 56 and 101. Consequently, the number of wards in municipalities have risen by 128 and that in the six Corporations, by seven. The revision was based on the decennial census held in 2011. Now that phase 1 is over, the 941 grama panchayats in Kerala have a total of 17,337 wards, the 87 municipalities have 3241 wards and the six corporations, 421 wards. The final notification on the delimitation can be accessed on the State Printing department's e-gazette website The new voters lists where the electors are reassigned in line with the delimited wards will be prepared by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The State Election Commission, which is tasked with the conduct of elections to local bodies, has issued directions for arranging polling stations to match the changes in voter strength. Block panchayats are covered in phase II of the ward delimitation exercise. The draft notification related to this phase will be issued on May 30. Delimitation Commission members Rathan U. Kelkar, K. Biju, S. Harikishore and K. Vasuki were present at the meeting.
News18
23-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Election Commission Holds One-On-One Talks With Political Parties In Trust-Building Exercise
Last Updated: Major parties, including the Congress, AAP, and TMC, continue to allege bias and claim that elections are not conducted fairly In the thick of mounting allegations of poll mismanagement from major opposition parties, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a novel effort to rebuild trust among them. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who took office in February, is leading this campaign to restore confidence in the commission. Kumar has decided to meet with political parties individually to directly address their concerns. The goal of this approach is to facilitate open and productive conversations, allowing party leaders to share their suggestions and grievances. 'All political parties are key stakeholders in the electoral process. Their trust in the commission is crucial for ensuring free and fair elections," an ECI official stated. The initiative began this month, kicking off through a meeting with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on May 6, led by its president, Mayawati. Although the BSP fielded the most candidates among national parties in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it did not secure any seats. Subsequently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met with the commission on May 8, represented by its national president, Jagat Prakash Nadda. Meetings followed with CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby on May 10, National People's Party president Conrad Sangma on May 13, and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on May 15. Of the six national parties, five have met with the commission. The Congress is the only party yet to schedule a meeting. These meetings will continue based on necessity and availability, said sources. 'This is the first time the ECI has adopted such a tradition. Previously, meetings occurred only when necessary or upon request and were not aimed at fostering mutual understanding," an ECI official told News18. Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. AAP also raised concerns about voter list manipulation in this year's Delhi assembly polls. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that 70 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls in Maharashtra in under six months. The ECI clarified that only 22 lakh new entries were made. Opposition parties have consistently raised issues about voting, vote counting, and updating and deleting in voter lists. The commission has responded by asserting that the rules are the same for all parties. 'Outcomes may not align with a party's expectations, but that doesn't mean the commission is favouring anyone. Only one candidate can win per seat, and this is determined by the people's choice," the official explained. To build trust, the commission is also engaging with political parties at various administrative levels. Nationwide, over 4,700 all-party meetings have been conducted—40 by Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), 800 by District Election Officers (DEOs), and 3,879 by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), involving more than 28,000 party representatives. 'This decentralised approach helps address local issues efficiently. For example, a voter list concern in a specific constituency is best handled first by the ERO, then by the DEO, and finally by the CEO if needed," the official added. The commission aims to establish a system of regular meetings between ECI officials and party representatives, ensuring elections are free and fair and maintaining public trust. Additionally, the commission has made changes based on party feedback. One major issue was EPIC duplication, which the ECI resolved by issuing new identity cards to affected voters. The problem stemmed from changes following the 2008 delimitation, as some areas continued using outdated series or made typographical errors. This trust-building initiative comes at a critical time, with the next major election in Bihar scheduled for November. Whether this effort will significantly change perceptions remains to be seen, but it marks a key step towards greater transparency and accountability by the poll body.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Preparations under way for local body polls later this year
With ward delimitation in local bodies entering Phase II in Kerala, preparations are also under way for the crucial 2025 local body elections scheduled for later this year. The State Election Commission has kicked off training sessions for officials responsible for preparing the electoral rolls and conducting the elections. The Commission is proceeding with the idea of holding the polls during November-December as the five-year terms of 1,199 local bodies expires in December, sources said. As part of the preparations, the Commission will shortly launch the training sessions for the Electoral Registration Officers (ERO). In grama panchayats and municipalities, the local body secretaries are the EROs. In municipal corporations, the post is handled by additional secretaries. Earlier this, year, the Commission had completed the training of State-level resource persons. Once the State Delimitation Commission completes the delimitation of wards, the EROs will need to revise the electoral rolls and reposition the population in line with the changes necessitated by the ward delimitation and voter limits set by the Commission for polling stations. This rearrangement is likely to see an increase in the number of polling stations as the Commission has set a cap of 1,300 voters per station in the rural areas and 1,600 in the urban areas. While the number of local bodies remain unchanged, the wards in the three-tier panchayats, municipalities and corporations have increased from 21,900 to 23,612. The 2025 local body elections will be a keenly-watched one as they will be held after a comprehensive, Statewide ward delimitation, and ahead of the 2026 elections to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. In 2020, the elections were held to 1,199 local bodies (except the Mattannur municipality) in three phases on December 8, 10 and 14 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delimitation Commission, headed by State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan, on Wednesday issued the final notification on the delimited wards in the grama panchayats. The delimitation exercise has entered Phase II in which the boundaries of the 152 block panchayats are being redrawn. The third and final phase will cover the district panchayats.
India.com
16-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi reviews Bihar poll preparations in Patna
As Bihar gears up for the Assembly elections later this year, Election Commissioner Dr Vivek Joshi is on a four-day official visit to the state, which began on May 15, to review poll preparations. A high-level review meeting was held in Patna under Dr Joshi's chairmanship on Friday. The meeting was attended by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, State Police Nodal Officer Kundan Krishnan, Inspector General of Police (Patna), the District Magistrate and SSP of Patna, Additional Secretary of the Election Department, and other senior officials. The focus of the meeting was to review election preparedness, ensuring peaceful and fair polling, and strengthening coordination among different arms of the election machinery. Dr Joshi, who was received in Patna by CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, is overseeing key aspects of the election process, including security arrangements, voter facilitation at polling stations, First Level Checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and training programmes for polling officials. Field visits at the district level are also part of his itinerary. As part of his tour, Dr Joshi will travel to Motihari (East Champaran) and Bettiah (West Champaran) to inspect EVM FLC processes and interact with District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and Booth Level Officers (BLOs). He will also assess the readiness of polling stations and voter service centres. The Election Commission, in collaboration with the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management -- its premier training wing -- is conducting division-wise training programmes across Bihar. These sessions aim to enhance the efficiency of polling staff and ensure that booth-level agents of political parties are well-informed about electoral procedures. Currently, the FLC of EVMs is underway in 13 districts of Bihar. The Election Commission aims to complete the exercise with full transparency and technical precision. Dr Joshi's visit underlines the Election Commission of India's commitment to ensuring that the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections are free, fair, inclusive, technologically robust, and devoid of any malpractice or violence.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
EC training field functionaries from T.N. and Puducherry in Tamil
The Election Commission of India on Wednesday said it was training field-level election functionaries from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in Tamil. At least 293 participants including 264 Booth Level Officer (BLO) supervisors, 14 Electoral Registration Officers (ERO), two Deputy Electoral Officers (DEO) and other officials were part of this mixed-batch training programme, the EC said in a statement. The two-day programme is in line with the expansive scheme to train election functionaries at all levels, including over one lakh BLOs, in the country in the next few years. Around 2,300 participants have benefited from intensive training programmes organised in the national capital over the past few weeks. The EC's initiative of training grassroot poll workers comes amid allegations by Opposition parties of voter roll manipulation and duplication of Electoral Photo Identity Cards. 'BLOs are the first interface of the Election Commission of India with the voters, and have a vital role in ensuring correct and updated electoral rolls,' Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said in his inaugural address at the training programme. The BLO supervisors are being trained through interactive sessions and role play to ensure accurate filling of various forms including Form 6, 7 and 8. The module includes practical training in the use of IT solutions. The BLO supervisors are being equipped as Assembly Level Master Trainers to train other BLOs. The participants were also familiarised with the provisions of first and second appeals against the final published electoral rolls with the District Magistrate (DM or an officer of equivalent rank) under Section 24(a) of the RP Act, 1950, and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the State/U.T. under Section 24(b), respectively.
