Election Commission

Shinde presided over his party's first-ever national executive in Mumbai late on Tuesday, soon after the faction led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) challenged the ECI move in the Supreme Court, with the hearing scheduled Wednesday (February 22). At the meeting, the Shiv Sena leaders, MPs, MLAs and others unanimously authorised Shinde.

Thackeray's shocker came at a media conference when he termed the ECI ruling of last Friday as "incorrect" and said his party has challenged it in the Supreme Court Monday. "Such undemocratic decisions cannot be made on the basis of money-power... It's an unconstitutional verdict. We demand that the ECI should be dissolved, an impartial EC should be appointed

The EC observed that the current constitution of the Shiv Sena on which former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was placing reliance is undemocratic. "While applying the 'Test of party Constitution', the Commission found that the party constitution on which the respondent (Uddhav Thackeray faction) was placing strong reliance is undemocratic," said the Commission in its 78-page order issued on Friday.

AIADMK MP CVe Shanmugham alleged that the DMK had erected temporary sheds at all the booth areas in East Erode -- where Assembly bypoll will be held on February 27 -- and voters are confined in these sheds all through the day. He also claimed that food is being served to the voters along distribution of cash.

Election officials said that with the issuance of the notification candidates can submit their nomination papers to the returning officers across the state . According to the notification, the last date of filing of nomination papers in Tripura is January 30 and the scrutiny of papers and relevant documents would be done the next day.

The ECI has developed a prototype Multi-Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine and has invited political parties for demonstration of the prototype RVM.

While voting percentage increased in many constituencies, the average voter turnout figure was dampened by urban apathy of these important districts just as during the recently concluded Himachal Pradesh assembly poll, the urban assembly constituency of Shimla recorded the lowest at 62.53 per cent (less by 13 percentage point) as against the State average of 75.6 per cent.

The three-day ban will come to force from the time the campaigning ends until the completion of voting. When the votes will be counted on December 7, liquor sale will again be prohibited. "In view of the civic polls in Delhi, the State Election Commission has declared dry days from 5.30 p.m. of December 2 to December 4, 2022 up to 5,30 p.m.

The tribal belt was sowing an enthusiastic response to voting. Dangs recorded 7.76 per cent voting and 7.25 per cent was recorded in Tapi till 9 a.m. According to ECI data, lowest voting was recorded in Porbandar district at 3.92 per cent, Jamnagar has 4.42 per cent, Bharuch 4.57 per cent, Botad (4.62 per cent), and Bhavnagar (4.71 per cent).

The EC in 2005 had decided not to register any more parties using religious names or symbols. The EC, in a written response, said that in 2005, it had taken a policy decision, whereby it was decided that political parties having religious name/connotation would not be registered thereon under Section 29A of the Representation of People's (RP) Act, 1951.