On Tuesday, Election Commission of India has announced that Delhi will vote in single-phase assembly election on February 5. The counting of votes will be held on February 8 in all 70 constituencies across the national capital.
At a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced “It’s a single-phase election. Date of Notification will be January 10. Last date of making nomination will be January 17, scrutiny on January 18 and withdrawal of nomination on January 20. Date of Poll is February 5 and counting will be held on February 8. Entire election process after counting will be complete by February 10”.
Kumar continued, “India is gold standard of elections. This is our common heritage…. there is no scope of any irregularity in the commission, the procedures are so details. We are ready to punish if there are any mistake individually, we are to take punishment too”.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAM) led by Arvind Kejriwal is seeking a third straight term in office in Delhi.
The election schedule was announced a day after the Election Commission released the final electoral roll for the elections. The national capital now has 1,55,24,858 registered voters, representing a 1.09 percent net increase.
EC On Voter Roll Deletion Charge
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar also responded to the Aam Aadmi Party’s claims that voter names were removed from the rolls during the press conference.
The poll panel Chief added, “Due process has been followed rigorously in deletions or additions to voter lists, there is no room for any manipulation. Stories on electoral roll are still going on. There are around 70 steps in it… electoral roll, election process, EVMs, polling stations, Form 17 (C), and counting stations, where political parties and candidates are present there with us. Whenever electoral rolls are formed, regular meetings are held, it cannot be done without Form 6, every part has the right to appoint a BLA. Whichever claims and objections are raised, they are shared with each political party at the same time; draft is put up on the website; no deletion is possible until there is Form 7 produced”.
CEC Rejects EVMs’ Manipulation Charge
In addition, CEC Rajiv Kumar responded to the opposition parties’ claims that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were tampered with during the election.
He said, “There is no evidence of unreliability or any drawback in the EVM… There is no question of introducing a virus or bug in the EVM. There is no question of invalid votes in the EVM. No rigging is possible. High Courts and the Supreme Court are continuously saying this in different judgments… What else can be said? EVMs are foolproof devices for counting. Allegations of tempering are baseless. We are speaking now because we don’t speak when elections are on”.
Regarding the dispute around voter turnout statistics, the poll panel chief stated, “It is impossible to change voter turnout…Some polling parties report at midnight or the next day. Form 17C is matched before counting. There is nothing which VTR does not explain. It explains fully”.
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