Election Commission

In adherence to the Supreme Court's instructions, SBI has submitted the electoral bond data to the Election Commission, as confirmed by sources familiar with the matter. The details of the electoral bonds, amounting to Rs 16,518 crore issued in 30 tranches since the inception of the scheme in 2018, have been handed over to the Election Commission.

The acceptance of Goel's resignation by President Droupadi Murmu, effective immediately, was confirmed through a notification issued by the law ministry. The reason behind his decision to step down remains undisclosed at this time.

He reiterated that there is no room for fear or coercion in the electoral process, emphasizing that any form of violence will not be tolerated. Kumar firmly stated that the Election Commission will not condone any biased behavior from the bureaucracy, making it unequivocally clear that partisan actions will be met with consequences.

Sources reveal that the ECI has directed the transfer of responsibilities from Anjani Kumar to the next senior-most eligible officer in the state.

In the notice, the Commission referenced a complaint from the BJP, highlighting Rahul Gandhi's allegedly derogatory and disparaging comments about the Prime Minister during a public meeting in Bayatu, Rajasthan.

Thackeray also referenced an instance earlier this year during the Karnataka Assembly elections, where Modi reportedly urged voters to chant 'Bajrang Bali Ki Jai' while casting their votes.

The Central Election Commission issued the order on Friday, which states that polling time in Rajasthan has been fixed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Earlier, for the elections held in 2018 and 2013, the voting time was from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This decision of the Election Commission may also increase the voting percentage.

Parties, including the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), Congress, BJP, Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), and the state's largest NGO Young Mizo Association (YMA) have urged the poll panel to change the date of vote counting (December 3) as Sunday is a sacred day for Christians, and the entire day is devoted to church services across the state.

In Mizoram, voting will take place on November 7, while Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls on November 17. Rajasthan will vote on November 23 and Telangana on November 30. Chhattisgarh will vote in two phases on November 7 and 17. Counting in all five states will take place on December 3.

Based on the 2001 census figure, all of the State's assembly and parliamentary constituencies were redefined by the ECI and the final proposal for delimitation was published last week. The poll body said that 19 Assembly and 2 Lok Sabha seats have been set aside for Scheduled Tribes (STs), while Scheduled Castes (SCs) have been given 1 Lok Sabha and 9 assembly seats.