ELECTIONS

Political blame games and balms have kept the pot boiling for the past five years. With parties crossing boundaries, not a dull moment, though dignity was often in want. Now we have the real elections to the Lok Sabha. Should we be voting? A moot question. Don’t even ask. Speak through your ballot. If you have not registered as a voter yet, do so immediately. The following are the last dates for voter registration in some of the key cities: Delhi - April 13, 2019 Mumbai - March 29, 2019 Kolkata - April 19, 2019 Trivandrum - March 24, 2019…

Political blames and balms have kept the pot boiling for the past five years. With parties crossing boundaries, no dull moments, though lack of dignity was often seen. Now we have the real elections to the Lok Sabha. Should we be voting? A moot question. Don't even ask. Speak through your ballot. If you have not registered as a voter yet, do so immediately, as March 16th is the last date for registration. “The last date for voter registration would be 10 days before the last date of candidate nomination. In Bangalore, the last date for candidate nomination is March…

With the announcement of the schedule for the imminent Lok Sabha polls, the entire nation is gripped by election fever. However, apart from the dates and clarifications over electoral procedure, the Election Commission in its communique has also spelt out the provision of some online/mobile facilities for the voter. For effective conduct of elections, the ECI has integrated use of telecommunications and smart technology in various processes of elections. Here are a few helplines and apps that will be useful as you get ready to cast your vote in the mammoth democratic exercise coming up in a few weeks from…

“We live in a gated community in Velachery. Corporation workers came door to door to distribute the forms to enlist people who are entitled to the Rs 2000 that they are giving out. They asked for ration card, voter ID or Aadhaar along with bank details. I refused as the scheme is clearly meant for people below the poverty line," said Adi Sankaran, a bank employee. But his is just one of the many accounts of similarly affluent or well to do neighbourhoods and enclaves in the city being approached by government workers. A scheme for BPL families An announcement…

The term of the present Lok Sabha will come to an end on June 3rd (04-06-2014 to 03-06-2019). Hence the Election Commission of India has announced schedule of elections to the coming Lok Sabha elections 2019. With the announcement of elections, the model code of conduct will be applicable with immediate effect. There are 28 parliamentary constituencies in Karnataka overall. Election will be conducted in two phases. Constituencies Notification Last date for submission Scrutiny Last day for withdrawal Poll  day Counting day 2nd Phase 14 19th March 26th March 27th March 29th March 18th April 23rd May 3rd Phase 14…

The much awaited schedule for elections to the Lok Sabha, the current term of which ends in June 2019, has been announced. The mammoth electoral exercise, which has been hailed as 'the festival of democracy' by the Prime Minister himself, will be conducted in seven rounds: on April 11, April 19, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Results will be announced on May 23rd. According to Census 2011, India has 53 urban agglomerations or cities with a population of 10 lakh (1 million) or more. The top 10 among these are Greater Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata,…

To begin with, that's how India's map looks like right now, if we mark the parliamentary constituencies with women Members of Parliament (MPs) in green. The chart visualised by Lokdhaba, an initiative of Trivedi Centre for Political Data at Ashoka University, shows that women's representation has been scattered across the nation, for the 16th Lok Sabha. The debate on having more and more women at the helm of political affairs has been a long one. The Women's Reservation Bill promised by various political parties has remained unimplemented due to lack of political consensus. As we head towards yet another Lok…

The question of whether non resident Indians (NRIs) can play an active role in determining the political leadership of their native country by casting their ballot, and how, has been at the centre of focus on many occasions. The coming elections to the Lok Sabha have created a new flutter over the issue with the looming possibility of NRIs being able to vote through appointed proxies. So, how does the system work at present? And what are the changes being mulled? Here is a quick look at the entire NRI voting process and possibility. According to the provisions of Section…

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are game-changers in elections, with an entire nation hooked on, awaiting results from them. Since 1999, EVMs began to be deployed in elections, gradually replacing paper ballots in local, state and parliamentary polls. Since 2000, they have been used in three Lok Sabha elections and 113 Assembly polls. For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Bharat Electronics Ltd and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd have delivered EVMs to 10.6 lakh polling stations across India. However, many political parties and technical experts continue to question the reliability of EVMs. Recently, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora fumed that EVMs…

The summary revision of electoral rolls is underway in Tamil Nadu with the publication of the draft electoral roll in September. Those who will have completed 18 years as on January 1, 2019 can enroll themselves in the voter list and those who wish to make any changes or deletions may also do so during the revision period. The final voter list is to be published on January 4, 2019. If you are looking to add, change or delete yourself from the rolls, these are the steps to be followed. Just be quick, for the deadline is October 31st. Addition…