Ahmedabad: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday tendered an oral apology to the Gujarat High Court on the issue of requisitioning of vehicles by it for the poll work, following which court reserved its verdict on the PIL challenging EC action. The division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice JB Pardiwala on Tuesday reserved its verdict on the PIL which had challenged the EC action of on-the-spot requisitioning...
05:00 PM, Dec 18, 2012
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Thursday questioned the timing of Narendra Modi's letter on Sir Creek issue saying the Gujarat Chief Minister has raised the matter at the time of elections, and indicated the government could take it up with the Election Commission. "When we take some good decisions (increasing cap on LPG cylinder from six to nine) we are told you can't take these decisions. But...
05:05 PM, Dec 13, 2012
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday disapproved Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Veerappa Moily's announcement of raising subsidised LPG quota and asked him to be circumspect in future. Moily had announced that the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders could be raised from six to nine. Taking a note of the announcement, the Election Commission had served a notice to Moily saying that it was a violation of the...
06:38 PM, Dec 12, 2012
New Delhi: A day after Election Commission rap, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday said the government has not yet taken any decision on raising cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders and the EC would have been informed before announcing any decision. "If the proposals had been concretised and it was to be announced or decision was to be taken... I would have definitely...
11:43 AM, Dec 12, 2012
New Delhi: The Election Commission has served a notice to Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily for announcing that the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders could be raised from six to nine. EC says this is a violation of the model code of conduct as the announcement comes barely 24 hours ahead of the first phase of polling in Gujarat. Moments after Moily spilled the beans on the government's plan to raise...
07:40 AM, Dec 12, 2012
The EC sends out a warning as the Centre announces a plan to raise the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders from six to nine. ...
09:15 PM, Dec 11, 2012
New Delhi: Taking suo moto cognisance of reports of the Centre's move ahead of Gujarat assembly polls to increase the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders, the Election Commission has directed it to stop the same forthwith. The Commission held an emergency meeting soon after the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas M Veerappa Moily said the government will raise the cap on supply of subsidised cooking gas (LPG) to nine...
07:51 PM, Dec 11, 2012
Ahmedabad: Election Commission has geared up to conduct postal ballot at various facilitation centres in Gujarat where about three lakh polling staff including policemen are expected to cast their votes, officials said. Around 9,000 policemen engaged in poll duty have already cast their votes through postal ballots at the facilitation centres set up across the state, they said. "An estimated three lakh people engaged in poll duty including policemen are...
06:15 PM, Dec 11, 2012
Ahmedabad: The Election Commission is dissatisfied with the government's response on the direct cash transfer scheme and has asked the government to defer its implementation in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh till the end of the assembly elections. EC had questioned the timing of the cash transfer scheme, to which the government had replied that the scheme was announced before the announcement of poll dates. The government had said that the...
01:30 PM, Dec 04, 2012
New Delhi: The government on Monday replied to the Election Commission's (EC) notice questioning the timing of the direct cash transfer scheme, saying that the decision had been announced first in March 2012 by then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the Budget speech. The Election Commission had sought a report from the Cabinet Secretary on Sunday alleging that the timing of the implementation of the scheme was suspect, coming as...
05:10 PM, Dec 03, 2012
New Delhi: Expressing unhappiness over the announcement of the much-touted direct cash transfer scheme by the Centre at a time when the Model Code of Conduct was in force, the Election Commission on Sunday sought a report from the government over the matter. In a strongly-worded letter to Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, the EC has conveyed its unhappiness over the timing of the announcement by the Government and said it...
09:10 PM, Dec 02, 2012
New Delhi: A day after BJP moved the Election Commission against the UPA's direct cash transfer scheme, NDA constituent Janata Party on Saturday threatened to approach court terming the scheme as "unconstitutional." Addressing party convention, its chief Subramanian Swamy said the whole issue smells of another scandal and it is something one should oppose. "This is an unconstitutional measure. Since BJP has said they are going to take it up...
08:24 PM, Dec 01, 2012
New Delhi: Faced with a threat of disaffiliation from its parent body, the Indian Olympic Association on Saturday said that it had not violated the Olympic Charter nor the government guidelines in its election process and the International Olympic Council should not take action against it. Talking to reporters here, IOA acting chief V K Malhotra said the Election Commission of retired judges of High Court have not found any...
04:55 PM, Dec 01, 2012
New Delhi: The Election Commission has made London Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and MC Mary Kom as its "national icons" to help promote voter participation in polls. The poll body already has former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as its other "national icons". Sources in the Election Commission said 22-year-old Nehwal and Mary Kom, 29, who had won bronze medals in 2012 London games in...
07:49 PM, Nov 30, 2012
Agartala: The Election Commission is gearing up to hold elections to the 60-member Tripura Assembly, as its term is set to expire on March 16. Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi on Wednesday held an all party meeting at the civil secretariat here which was attended by the ruling CPM, opposition Congress and others. Zutshi sought cooperation from all parties for smooth conduct of elections scheduled in February. The Deputy Election...
03:25 AM, Nov 29, 2012
Ahmedabad: The Election Commission on Wednesday turned down Bharatiya Janata Party's application seeking to disqualify Keshubhai Patel-led Gujarat Parivartan Party. In its application the BJP had asked the EC to disallow Keshubhai's party from contesting the Gujarat Assembly elections, which are being held in December. Keshubhai Patel, a former chief minister of Gujarat, split from the BJP in July 2012 to form his own outfit. The Gujarat Parivartan Party had...
04:46 PM, Nov 28, 2012
Ahmedabad: The Election Commission has started a campaign to ensure high voter turnout in Gujarat during the two-phase Assembly elections in the state. The Commission has made more than two dozen voters, all of whom are over 100 years old, as its brand ambassador in Narmada district of the state. All those chosen claim to have voted in every election since Independence. One of those chosen by the Election Commission...
03:25 PM, Nov 27, 2012
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday hit out at the Congress after former CAG official RP Singh did a volte-face on his claims on the national auditor's 2G report, saying the ruling party is in the habit of damning and denigrating institutions whenever it stands embarrassed. "This has become the habit of Congress party. Whenever it embarrasses them or whenever they are in trouble, they try to...
09:03 PM, Nov 26, 2012
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday will hear an Election Commission's petition challenging an order passed by the Gujarat High Court on cash seizures in the state. The electoral watchdog had challenged a Gujarat High Court order that had stayed the EC directive to seize cash above Rs 2.5 lakh if found in transit during the Gujarat Assembly elections. The Gujarat High Court, on a PIL filed by Bhagyoday...
08:52 AM, Nov 26, 2012
Ahmedabad: The Election Commission on Thursday sent a notice to Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia for comparing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to a monkey. Modhwadia has been asked to file his reply by November 24. BJP MP and state unit General Secretary Balkrishna Shukla had filed a complaint with the Commission about Modhwadia's speech in Vadodara on November 2 when he made the controversial comments. The Commission sent the...
06:27 PM, Nov 22, 2012
