Jammu:

The Election Commission has set up 24 special polling stations in Jammu, Udhampur and New Delhi to facilitate voting by Kashmiri migrants in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, a senior official said.

People who were displaced from the Kashmir Valley and are residing in Jammu and Udhampur will not have to fill Form-M, as was done in the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jammu and Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole said in a statement issued on Friday.

“Kashmiri migrant voters residing in various relief camps in Jammu, Udhampur, and Delhi, who have opted to cast their votes in person through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the election, can do so at 24 polling stations – 19 in Jammu, 1 in Udhampur and 4 in Delhi,” he said.

“Continuing with the historic decision taken by the ECI during the Lok Sabha elections, the earlier requirement for migrant electors in Jammu and Udhampur to fill out Form-M has been removed,” he said.

Electors residing in zones and camps will be mapped to their respective polling stations in Jammu and Udhampur, the CEO added.

The draft roll extracts, mapping migrant electors residing in various zones in Jammu and Udhampur to the respective special polling stations, will be published soon. Any additions, deletions or corrections will be allowed for a period of seven days, Pole said.

Following this, the final photo electoral roll extracts will be published for each polling station, based on which migrant electors will be allowed to vote at these special polling stations like any other voter, by producing the Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or any of the 12 alternate photo identity documents notified by the Election Commission, he said.

Migrants residing outside Jammu and Udhampur can now self-certify Form-M, instead of getting it attested by a gazetted officer or other authorities, Pole said.

“Those voters who are required to fill out Form-M – those residing outside Jammu and Udhampur who wish to exercise their franchise in person – should intimate the details of the electors in their families to the designated election officials,” he said.

Additionally, all migrant voters who have not opted to vote in person have the option to vote through postal ballot papers, he said.

The 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in three phases starting September 18. Votes will be counted on October 4.
 

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Srinagar:

A delegation of the Election Commission of India (ECI) led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar reached Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on Thursday to review poll preparedness ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in the Union Territory.

Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were part of the delegation apart from CEC Rajiv Kumar in the review visit.

As part of the review process, the ECI delegation will meet with the various stakeholders including officials and leaders of different political parties in the UT.

On June 21, the ECI initiated the preparations for forthcoming State Assembly Elections in the States of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand with the updation of the electoral rolls in these states w.r.t. July 1, 2024, as the qualifying date.

An ECI release earlier mentioned that the term of the existing Legislative Assemblies in the three states are going to end on November 3 and 26 and January 5, 2025, respectively and elections to these Legislative Assemblies are required to be conducted before the completion of their terms.

As per the release, the ECI directed for the updation of the electoral rolls in J-K witnessing the huge participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections.

CEC Rajiv Kumar in an earlier press conference remarked that “the story of huge participation in Lok Sabha elections by people of J&K is very hopeful and inspiring, showing how eager people are to participate in democracy. People must stay peaceful and united, fulfilling their aspirations and deciding their future and governance. The Commission is excited and gratified to help make this happen and will soon start the Assembly election process in J&K.”

Meanwhile, J&K BJP Chief Spokesperson Sunil Sethi said, “We want the Assembly elections should be held at the earliest. BJP is prepared for the elections. We have certain concerns regarding security and phasing of the elections.”

J&K BJP leader Rafiq Wani said, “BJP is completely ready for elections. We are hopeful that like Lok Sabha elections people will take part in Assembly elections also.”

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New Delhi:

A day after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that Home Minister Amit Shah called and intimidated district officers ahead of the counting of votes Tuesday, the Election Commission said no officer has reported any “undue influence” and asked the Opposition leader for details backing his allegation by 7 pm today so that action can be taken.

“The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far, he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the BJP will exit, and the INDIA Janbandhan will be victorious. Officers should not get under any pressure and must uphold the Constitution. They are under watch,” Mr Ramesh said in the post on X.

The outgoing Home Minister has been calling up DMs/Collectors. So far he has spoken to 150 of them. This is blatant and brazen intimidation, showing how desperate the BJP is. Let it be very clear: the will of the people shall prevail, and on June 4th, Mr. Modi, Mr. Shah, and the…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 1, 2024

The poll body said that being a senior leader, Mr Ramesh must have made the public statement based on facts he believes to be true.

“In this regard, it may be noted that during the period of enforcement of MCC, all officers are under deemed deputation of the Commission and report directly to the Commission for any directions. However, no DM has reported any such undue influence as alleged by you. As you are aware, the process of counting of votes is a sacred duty cast upon every RO and such public statements by you tend to put an element of doubt and thus, deserves to be addressed in larger public interest,” the Election Commission said in its letter to Mr Ramesh.

“Therefore, you being a responsible, experienced and very senior leader of a National Party must have made such public statement, just before the day of counting, based on facts/ information you believe to be true. It is requested that details of 150 DMs to whom such calls have been allegedly made by the Home Minister along with the factual matrix/ basis of your information are shared by 19.00 hours today i.e. June 2, 2024, so that appropriate action can be taken,” the poll body alleged.

Speaking to NDTV after exit polls predicted another BJP victory, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri trashed such charges. “The Home Minister of India doesn’t call a district officer or a subdivisional officer. The Home Minister deals with the Chief Minister of a state.”

New Delhi:

Five phases of the Lok Sabha election over, the Election Commission today came down heavily on the ruling BJP and the main Opposition Congress over poll speeches by star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

In separate directions issued to BJP president JP Nadda and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the poll body said the country’s socio-cultural milieu cannot become a casualty to elections. The two major parties, it said, are not allowed to weaken the heritage of the Indian voter’s quality electoral experiences.

Earlier, both parties had approached the Election Commission and complained against each other’s leaders. The poll body had issued notices and sought their responses on the allegations. In today’s directions, it has rejected their defences.

In its letter to Mr Nadda, the poll body has said it expects BJP, “as the ruling party at the Centre to fully align the campaign methods to the practical aspects of the composite and sensitive fabric of India”.

The commission has directed the BJP to instruct all star campaigners to refrain from making any statement prohibited under the Model Code of Conduct. The rules, it stressed, provide that “No Party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing difference or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic.

The poll body directed the BJP chief to direct all star campaigners “to not make speeches and statements, which may divide the society”. It also directed the star campaigners to “refrain from any campaigning methods/utterances along religious communal lines”. The poll body also called for decorum in speeches by the party’s star campaigners.

The Election Commission’s letter to Mr Kharge said that it expects the Congress to “fully align the campaign methods to the practical aspects of the composite and sensitive fabric of India”.

The poll body asked the Congress chief to direct its star campaigners to avoid making statements prohibited under the General Conduct rules of the model code of conduct.

Mr Kharge was also directed to ask Congress star campaigners to “desist as part of the election campaigning from indulging in any political propaganda involving activities of the Defence forces and not to make potentially divisive statements regarding socio-economic composition of Defence forces”. He was also told to instruct star campaigners “that they do not make statements which give false impression such as that the Constitution of India may be abolished or sold”.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said that election-time seizures have reached Rs 8,889 crore, with drugs comprising 45 per cent of the total.

“Enhanced vigil against inducements, including drugs and psychotropic substances, has resulted in big seizure actions and a continuous surge. Drug seizures have been maximum. Regular follow-ups and reviews of districts and agencies in areas of expenditure monitoring, precise data interpretation and active participation of enforcement agencies have led to this significant spurt in seizures since March 1,” the poll body said

The seizure of drugs, liquor, precious metals, freebies, and cash influences elections in varying degrees, some flowing directly as inducement while others through reduced levels of circulation of money.

The Commission, led by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, held meetings with the DG, Narcotics Control Bureau, to take up analytics-based proactive action for ensuring action by dedicated Nodal Officers of NCB.

Similarly, active involvement of the DRI, Indian Coast Guard, state police and other agencies was ensured during the ongoing elections. All these measures have led to significant seizures in the two months since the announcement of the polls.

“With the increasing intensity of campaigning in the last three phases, the Commission is keeping close tabs on attempts at influencing voters through inducements and has directed the CEOs and enforcement agencies to step up the vigil. The crusade against drugs and other inducements by the Commission will continue,” it added.

The EC stated that the Gujarat ATS, NCB and Indian Coast Guard, in joint operations, have made three high-value seizures of drugs in just three days, amounting to Rs 892 crore.

“These elections have witnessed a series of targeted actions against the menace of drugs. Other states apart from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi have also shown seizures of drugs. On 17.04.2024 Noida Police busted drug factory in Greater Noida wherein 26.7 kg of MDMA drug valued at Rs. 150 Crore were seized and two persons of foreign origin were arrested. The seizures in other cohorts have equally been impressive and surpasses the entire seizures of 2019 Parliamentary Elections by a big margin. Meticulous and exhaustive planning stands at its base,” it stated.

Real-time reporting of interceptions and seizures under the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS)- an in-house app, has resulted in quick, regular and precise reviews on expenditure monitoring. In addition, 656 Expenditure observers deployed for Parliamentary Constituencies and 125 expenditure observers are also keeping a close tab on check posts, functioning of ground level teams and are actively monitoring to ensure that citizens are not put to discomfort in the process of monitoring.

A close vigil is also kept in 123 Parliamentary Constituencies which are marked as expenditure-sensitive constituencies for more focused vigil.

The process of motivating agencies and having an active interface started in full force during the last quarter of 2023. In the first two months of the calendar year, already Rs. 6760 crore worth of drugs were seized, which conveyed a message that the Commission has a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to any form of inducement that may influence the voters.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Ahmedabad:

 Around a thousand voters from across three villages in Gujarat boycotted voting in the Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday, while those in as many other villages partially stayed away from the process over their unfulfilled demands from the government, officials said.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that as per the preliminary information, the voters of Kesar village in Bharuch district, Sanadhara in Surat district and Bhakhari in Banaskantha district completely boycotted voting, while the voters at Bhatgam village in Junagadh district, and Bodoli and Kunjara villages in Mahisagar district boycotted it partially.

Sanadhara village falls under Bardoli Lok Sabha seat and has 320 voters.

As per the Election Commission report, none of the 320 voters cast their votes over certain outstanding issues even as the local poll administration and representatives of political parties tried to persuade them to come out and exercise their franchise.

Around 300 voters in Bakhri village that falls under Patan parliamentary constituency also decided to collectively boycott voting in protest against division of their gram panchayat.

Despite persuasion, they remained steadfast in their decision to not exercise their voting right.

Poll preparations were made since early morning, but the villagers did not turn up for voting even as polling officers kept waiting. Villagers are aggrieved over the division of their gram panchayat, they said.

Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Bharatsinh Dabhi reached the village and requested them to join the poll process, but to no avail.

Around 350 voters in Kesar village of Bharuch district also remained adamant on their decision to not cast their votes and by the end of the day not a single vote was cast.

This was not the first time that the voters had boycotted their votes. They have done so in the past as well, as their demands to build a bridge over a river has not been fulfilled by the government despite repeated demands, locals said.

Polling for 25 out of the total 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat were held in a single phase on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won the Surat seat unopposed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Khargone, Madhya Pradesh:

Launching a sharp attack on the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it is time for voters to decide if ‘vote jihad will work or Ram Rajya’.

“India is at a turning point in history; you have to decide if vote jihad will work or Ram Rajya,” PM Modi said at a public meeting on Tuesday.

“Terrorists in Pakistan are threatening of jihad against India. And here, those in Congress have also announced for vote jihad against Modi, which means people of a particular religion are being asked to vote unitedly against Modi. Imagine what level the Congress has stooped to. Do you agree with Vote Jihad? In a democracy, can it be done? Does our constitution allow this kind of Jihad?” he asserted.

The development comes after Maria Alam, a Samajwadi Party leader and the niece of senior Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, asked the Muslims to do ‘vote jihad’ in order to defeat the BJP. Alam’s remark created a huge controversy with BJP leaders accusing the INDIA bloc for the statement by the SP leader.

Alam remarked on April 30, while seeking votes for the INDIA bloc’s candidate in the Farrukhabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh. She was later booked for this speech. As per the FIR, Maria Alam Khan allegedly asked the minority community to go for “vote jihad.”

On Tuesday, addressing the public meeting in Beed, Maharashtra, PM Modi also attacked Congress and the INDIA bloc over the reservation row in Karnataka. He also criticized former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav over his remarks on the reservation.

“In Karnataka, where OBC had 27 per cent reservation, the Congress government brought a ‘fatwah’, an order and overnight declared all the Muslims in Karnataka as OBC. What BR Ambedkar, the Constitution, the parliament granted 27 per cent reservations to OBC, by putting Muslims in the category of OBC, overnight, they (Congress) looted what was there for the OBC…now, they want to do the same thing across the country,” the Prime Minister said.

“Today, a leader of INDI alliance has himself accepted their conspiracy. He is the same who was convicted by the Court in ‘fodder scam’. The leader of the INDI alliance has accepted that ‘ye log Musalmaanon ko pura ka pura aarakshan dena chahte hain’ (They want to give the whole reservation to Muslims). It means they want to snatch the whole reservation given to SC, ST and OBC and give it to Muslims. This is a danger sign for tribals, backwards and Dalits,” he further added.

Earlier in the day, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav called for a Muslim quota in the reservation.

“Muslims should get a reservation (Reservation toh milna chahiye Musalmano ko, pura),” he told ANI.

However, later the RJD supremo backtracked and said that reservation is given based on social backwardness and not based on religion.

“I implemented the ‘Mandal Commission’. Reservation samajik adhar par hota hai dharmik aadhar par nahi hota hai (it is based on social backwardness and not based on religion). Atal Bihari Vajpayee constituted the Constitution Review Commission,” he said.

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Betul, Madhya Pradesh:

A bus carrying polling officials and electronic voting machines caught fire in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, causing damage to a few EVMs, according to a senior official.

However, no polling staff and the driver of the bus suffered any injury in the incident, Betul Collector Narendra Suryavanshi told PTI over phone.

The incident took place near Gola village around 11 pm in the district on Tuesday, he said.

The fire took place because of a spark in the bus, but no one suffered any injuries in the incident, the collector said.

The fire damaged EVMs of four polling stations, including booth numbers 275, 276, 277, 278, 279 and 280, he said.

The fire tender doused the flames which had totally gutted the bus, he added.

Six polling parties and as many EVMs were there in the bus at the time of the incident, among which four EVMs got damaged while two others are safe, Suryavanshi said.

In the four affected EVMs, either a control unit or a ballot unit suffered damages in the fire, he said.

Asked whether the incident would affect the vote count recorded in the EVMs, the collector said that he will send his report to the Election Commission on the issue and the poll body will take a decision regarding re-polling on the affected booths.

A total of 72.65 per cent polling was recorded in the Betul Lok Sabha seat, a poll official said.

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Jaipur:

The BJP on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India claiming that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s announcement of “seven guarantees” ahead of the November 25 assembly elections violated the poll code.

Last Friday, Ashok Gehlot announced five guarantees for Rajasthan, including a law on the Old Pension Scheme, buying cow dung and providing a laptop or a tablet to government college students, if his is reelected. Two “guarantees” were announced in Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s public meeting earlier.

A BJP delegation met with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Praveen Gupta on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum, saying that once the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect, announcements of any kind of schemes by which a political party can attempt to influence voters are a violation.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force in Rajasthan on October 9 after the Election Commission announced the date for the assembly elections.

In a statement, the BJP alleged that Ashok Gehlot’s announcement was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and also falls under the category of “corrupt practices’ under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The BJP’s intellectual cell convenor Rajendra Singh Shekhawat said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recently wrote a message on social media about the seven guarantees of the Congress and asked people to register themselves to avail of the benefits of such schemes.

He alleged that luring the general public to register for such schemes is a criminal act and a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

This is against the rules and should be stopped immediately, Mr Shekhawat said, adding that action should be taken against the Congress and its Chief Minister.

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