Election Commission India
One of the most powerful authorities in India, the election commission of India oversees the conduct of general elections throughout the country. The commission was founded on 25th January 1950, and it’s aim has been to conduct free and fair elections. Every year this day is celebrated as National Voters Day.
The election commission is an autonomous body and does not come under the government control. It has the power to create code of conduct, rules and regulations that will govern the elections. Right from deciding the dates of elections to deciding the polling locations to arrangement of voting centres and allocation of voters to a polling booth are done by the commission.
Members Of Election Commission India
The core of the commission is made up of only three members. These people are elected by the President of India and have a term of 6 years. They can be removed only when both the houses of parliament have majority of votes in the favor of the removal.
The current chief election commissioner is V S Sampath while the two election commissioners are Syed Nasim Ahmed Zaidi and Harishankar Brahma. These three are the only members of election commission of India Just recently Mr. Zaidi unveiled a new website that is aimed at bringing in more participation of voter by encouraging them to register for voting.
Powers Of Election Commission India
The commission can disqualify any candidate or even a winning candidate if he/she if found violating the election rules. The fact that no one, including government of India or the president of India, can interfere or object to it shows the how powerful election commission actually is.
The powers of election commission India allow it to take its own decisions based on its discretion. No one can challenge these decision; neither government nor president of India or any governor. In fact the supreme courts refer to the commission on the disputes or cases related to elections that come to it.
The commission not only looks after voter registration but also manages the registration process of all the political parties in India. All the political parties in India who want to contest in elections have to compulsorily register with the commission.
Election Commission Online
The official website of the election commission India is home to a huge amount of information. The commission has put up every piece of information related to voting, elections. Besides registering for voting, people can get information about Block Level Officer (BLO), Electoral Officer (ERO) and even the Google Maps of the polling booth of their area.
That is not all. There is a separate section on the election commission website from which the voters can get access to contact numbers as well email contacts of the election authorities of their respective states. The commission also has its very own app store.
In order to ensure that it can reach out to every voter in the country, the election commission has put in place a website for every state. Besides the commission also has its own helpline that provides round the clock support for the voters. The voters can get their issues resolved using this free service offered by the commission.
Election Commission India Voter ID Card
The voter ID card was first introduced in the year 1993 by the then commissioner of the election commission of India T.N Seshan. The rising incidents of bogus voting and booth capturing fuelled the need for voter ID card. The election commission India voter ID cards have helped voters cast their vote without the fear of someone else doing so in their place.
The election commission has made it easy for Indians to register online for voter ID Card. For people wanting to register for a new voter card can simply go to the official website of Indian election commission and fill in form 6 along with relevant documents.
The commission has also made provisions for the voters to change or update or even remove their voter id card details. The voters can simply go fill the concerned form that are available on its website or. For those who are not tech savvy or don’t not want to register for voter ID card election commission online can go to ERO office of their area to do so. You will find all the election commission Indian forms on the official website.
Similarly, considering the huge number of Indians living outside India, the commission has also made several provisions for them to participate in the Indian elections. Right from registration to cancellation, everything has been provided by the ECI on its site.
As a tribute to the Indian voters, the election commission has issued a 5 rupee stamp in its honour. This stamp was issued as a part of its golden jubilee anniversary celebrations by the president of India in the year 2010.
The Indian voters can get this stamp from any Indian post office across the country by paying a fee of just five rupees.
Election Commission AP
State election commission AP is one of the most admired and advanced election body in India. Its primary role is to look over the conduct of all types of elections within Andhra Pradesh. In doing so it has set a lot of new benchmark for the other states to follow and imitate.
It is the first state in India that implemented the online registration process for voter id. From press releases to tenders to notifications, the AP election commission has excelled at everything it does.
The AP election commission has also tied up with e-seva centres called Mee Seva. The centres have helped the commission reach out to those voters who are residing in the city as well as remote locations of AP.
If you are a tech savvy voter from Andhra Pradesh, then the election commission has some good news for you. It has developed a mobile application for android and non-android smartphones. This app will enable you to know the status of voter ID card application.
The voters in AP can know about their constituency in few clicks thanks to feature provided by Andhra CEO on its site. And that’s not all. If they are keen to know the location of their polling booth then a separate section has been created on the site too.
This is not all. If you are facing any problems related to voter ID card, then the commission has also started a 24 x 7 helpline for the Andhra Pradesh voters to help with problems they maybe facing.
As a part of its initiative to increase women participation in the elections, the election commission of India has also tied-up with several institutes universities across the state.
Election Commission India Identity Card
The identity card of election commission India we are talking about is nothing but the voter id card that is issued by the election commission India. The voter can greatly benefit from this card in more than one ways.
It can be used as a genuine identification proof in various places. The card will also help the voter to get recognized as the bonafide citizen of India.
Since only a person possessing the election commission India identity card can vote, the menace of bogus voting is also taken care of. It can also be an effective form of identification for those voters who are poor and illiterate.
Election Commission India NOTA
Taking the note of the strong wave of anti-establishment among Indians, the election commission has recently introduced a powerful weapon for the voters called NOTA (None Of The Above). This option will now be available for the voters in the forthcoming Indian general elections 2014.
By giving this option, the commission has given the Indian voters a right to reject all the candidates if they don’t like any of them. As a result, the voters have now been given greater say in choosing their leaders.
Election Commission India Initiatives
Over the years, the Indian election commission has taken wide range of initiatives to provide a comfortable voting experience for the Indian voters. Amongst these is the computerisation of registration and other voting related processes.
The election commission is also present on the social media. It has its own Facebook page that regularly keeps posting all the latest updates about everything related to elections. This page has become a platform for voters and the commission to interact with each other.
In order to educate the Indian voters about their rights and various election processes, the commission also offers various training materials for download from its official website.
To encourage more voter participation the Indian election commission also gives out awards. To spread more awareness among voters, the commission also utilizes radio, television media to reach out to the prospective voters. As a result of all these initiatives, an incredible 3.91 crore new voters have now registered in the past year.
In addition to its code of conduct for parties, the commission has very recently introduced code of conduct for media too as a part of eliminating any kind of bias. In the spirit of free and fair elections, the commission has also endorsed the opinion of banning the televised exit polls which could affect the voters’ decisions.
For more than half a century the election commission of India has upheld the principles on which its was created. And it is with the same zeal and zest it must continue contributing towards building a nation based on people’s wishes.
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