EC to go by law regarding preponing of elections
Kolkata, June 2: Amid reports of the possibility of preponing the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner of India Om Prakash Rawat on Saturday said the commission would abide by the law and can issue a notification for election to any house "not before six months" of the expiry of that house.
"Law says the Election Commission can issue notification for election to any house not before six months before the expiry of that house. That is the legal binding on the Election Commission," he said at an interactive session organised by the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce (MCC).
Rawat also said the Commission is the authority to decide the schedule for elections.
When asked whether the Commission has received any suggestion regarding preponing of the 2019 General Election, he said: "Absolutely not. The Election Commission will go by the law. I have explained the law... If the law requires that within six months you have to hold elections, you have to hold.
"Responding to a query on the idea of simultaneous elections. The Election Commission was asked about this idea in 2015. The commission gave all the suggestions to the government. It requires changes in constitution and also changes in law. Logistic support will also be required. We gave suggestion to the government. After that, we are not aware (of it). Recently, law commission met the Election Commission."
Ruling out any possibility of bringing back ballot papers for elections, he said, since July 2017, the commission conveyed in an all party meeting that all elections henceforth would be conducted with EVMs coupled with VVPATs.
"There is absolutely nothing about the integrity of the system... However, time and again there are eruptions on this, we clarify the issue," he said.
Speaking on electoral bonds, he said the Commission is gathering facts and information to crystallise its view on this.
"As soon as we complete this, we will be communicating to government and will put its views on public domain," Rawat added.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
