ECI Presentation

5/24/2018 ECI Presentation

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Election Commission of India

URL : www.eci.gov.in


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Electoral Administration - Framework

Election Commission of IndiaThe IndianConstitution provides for its creation.

Appointment of CEC and ECs Right to vote to all above 18 years of age

Bicameral Composition of Parliament

Composition of State Legislatures

Delimitation of constituencies after each census

Duration of each House


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Election Commission of India

Constitutional Provision

Article 324 (1) - The superintendence,

direction and control of the preparation of theelectoral rolls for, and the conduct of, allelections to Parliament and to the Legislatureof every State and of elections to the offices

of President and Vice-President held underthis Constitution shall be vested in theElection Commission.


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A Multi-Member Commission

Constitutional Position

Article 324 (2)The Election Commission shall consist of

the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of

other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may

from time to time fix and the appointment of the ChiefElection Commissioner and other Election Commissioners

shall, subject to the provisions of any law made in that

behalf by Parliament, be made by the President.

Article 324 (3) When any other Election Commissioneris so appointed the Chief Election Commissioner shall act

as the Chairman of the Election Commission.


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A Multi-Member Commission

From Jan 1950 to mid Oct 1989A single Member Commission

headed by a Chief Election Commissioner.

(Argument put forward was that decisions need to be taken

expeditiously when election process is on. And, a single member

Commission would be more suited for it)

From Oct 16, 1989 till Dec 1989 It was a Three MemberCommission.

From Jan 1990 to Sep 1993A Single Member Commission.

From Oct 1993 till todayA Three Member Commission.

(The Chief Election Commissioner and Two ElectionCommissioners)


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Conditions of Service

The CEC and the ECs placed at par in matters of salary and allowances

and it is the same as that of a judge of Supreme Court. Tenure of CEC and ECs fixed as 6 years subject to the maximum age

limit of 65 years.

The CEC and ECs all have equal powers in matters of decision making.

In case of difference, decisions are taken by opinion of majority.

The Commission takes all the elections by consensus.

The CEC shall not be removed from his office except in the like mannerand on the like grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Service conditions cannot be varied to his disadvantage after hisappointment.

The ECs cannot be removed except on the CECsrecommendation.


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Commissions Secretariat

Deputy Election Commissioners03

Directors(Admn. And IT)01

Secretaries (Zonals and Specifics)10

Under Secretaries12 Jt Director + OSD (IT)02

Assistant Director (Stats.)02

Section Officers33 Assistants & others275


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Election Machinery in States

Chief Electoral Officers35

District Election Officers601

Returning Officers (Parliament)543

Returning Officers (Assembly)4120 Asstt. Returning Officers (Parliament)4600

Asstt. Returning Officers (Assembly)10,000

Electoral Registration Officers4120 Asstt. Electoral Registration Officers - 4800


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Right to Vote

Any citizen over 18 can vote can vote

Voting right denied to certain class of people:

criminal convicts of certain class

person convicted of electoral offence

person of unsound mind

There is no compulsion to vote

Voting statistics

57.94% in 1996

61.97% in 1998

59.01% in 1999

58.07% in 2004


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Scale of Operation

Recognized National Parties06

Recognized State Parties45

Registered Unrecognized Parties702

Polling Stations687,000

ElectorateNearly 671 million

Turn outNearly 389 million

Staff deployed on Poll Day (Presiding Officers, Polling

Officers and helpers)Nearly 4 million Security personnel deployedNearly 2.5 million

Approximate direct costINR 13000 million (USD280 million)


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Transaction of Business

Regular meetings

Circulation of papers

Consultation and informal discussions All Election Commissioners have equal say

Delegation of some executive functions to

officers


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Division of work

Functional and territorial divisions

Functional Planning

Judicial

Administration Information Systems

Media

Secretarial Coordination

Territorial - States and UTs divided into 6 zones (North, North-

East, East. Central, West, South)


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Budget and Expenditure

Voted budget

Independent Budget finalised in consultation withFinance Ministry

Funds for Conduct of elections reflected in the budgetof States/UTs

Only Parliament election - Funded entirely by Centre

Only Assembly election - Funded by the State

Simultaneous election - Expenses shared equally

Expenditure on capital equipment shared equally Expenditure on electoral rolls, PICs also shared equally


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When Elections take place?

Term of Parliament & Assembly - 5years (except J & KAssembly where it is 6 years)

House can be dissolved before its term ends

Dates decided by the Commission. No consultation done withany Government

Commission can call for elections six months prior to the dateon which normal tenure of Assembly or Parliament expires.

14 General elections since 1952.

Bye-elections when a seat falls vacant. Normally held within 6-

months of vacancy. No Bye-elections if vacancy for less thanone year


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Scheduling of Elections

No more than 6-month gap between last session of

Parliament/Assembly and recalling of new House Elections to fall within this period

Number of considerations in scheduling:

Weather

Law & order Movement of Central police forces

Agricultural cycles

Festivals

Exam schedules

Public holidays

Logistical requirements


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Who can Contest?

Any citizen over 25 years for Lok Sabha & Vidhan Sabha

Any citizen over 30 years for Rajya sabha & Vidhan Parishad For Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha candidate- registered voter in any

state

For Vidhan Sabha & Vidhan Parishad- registered voter only inthat state

Candidate should not be convicted or disqualified otherwise

Security deposit:

Rs.10,000/ for Lok Sabha

Rs. 5000/- for Rajya Sabha, Vidhan Sabha & Vidhan Parishad

SC & ST candidates pay half the amount

Deposit returned if candidate secures more than 1/6th of validvotes

Nominations need to be proposed by electors:

one for candidate of national/state party

ten for others


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The Contestants

7 days for filing nominations Scrutiny a day following the last date for nominations

Thereafter 2 days provided for withdrawal

Final list prepared after withdrawal

4370 candidates for 543 seats in 1999, 5435 in 2004 (2386 independents)

Average number of contestants: 1952 -- 3.8

1991 -- 16.3

1996 -- 25.6

1998 -- 8.75

1999 -- 8.05 2004 -- 10.01

Size of deposit increased in1996

Number of electors nominating a candidate increased


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Time and mode of election campaigns

Campaign period of about 13 days or more

Ends 48 hours before polling closes

Parties issue manifestoes Slogans, Door-to-door campaigning etc.

Posters, meetings, processions etc.


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Model Code of Conduct

Part I Minimum standards of behaviour Part II Public meetings Part III Processions by political parties

Part IV Conduct of political parties Part V Conduct on poll day

Part VI Handling of complaints

Part VII Parties in Power


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Checks on Party in Power

No official tour with campaigning

Bar on use of official vehicle/aircraft

Equal opportunity for use of public places for

meetings, stay etcNo ads on public expense

No announcement or promise of new schemes

No new financial sanctions

No fresh appointments


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Voter Education - I

By EC Fund provided to CEOs to give Newspaper inserts, radio jingles,

television spots, Banners, posters and produce literature

In rural areasdrum beating, chaupal (village assemblies) etc

Electoral Rolls displayed and read in local bodies like GramSabhas and Residents Welfare Associations etc.

To enable voters to make an informed choice

- All candidates are required to declare their criminal past,educational qualifications, assets and liabilities etc.- Affidavits

filed displayed publicly and also put on the EC website. Efforts on to make information on poll expenses public.


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Voter Education - II

By NGOs NGOs are encouraged to educate voters

A number of Election Watch Groups played a positive roll in2004 elections

One industry gr. also helped in putting up helplines and kiosks

By Political parties and candidates

They are the real stake holders and hence play crucial role invoter education

Advertisements, person to person contacts, meetings, posters are

the modes

By Media

Media mature - plays a crucial role


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Women Participation

Women seats No specific law for reservation of seats as yet

Political parties expected to put up women candidatesin reasonable numbers

Facilities on the polling stations

Separate Q for women voters

At least one lady officer posted in every polling station

Lady officer alone can see and verify pardhanasheenladies ( Ladies wearing veils)


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Limits on Poll Expenses - ILimits on candidates

Lok Sabha - Maximum Rs. 2,500,000 ; Minimum - Rs. 1,000,000. Vidhan Sabha- Max. Rs. 1,000,000; Min. - Rs. 500,000.

Commission monitors expenses closely

Expenditure Observers

Detailed accounts furnished by candidates within 30 days of

declaration of election results

Limits on politicasl parties

Political parties and supporters till recently could spend as much asthey wanted in the campaign in addition

Political parties will file their annual income statements before theCommission


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Limits on Poll Expenses-II

Expenses that are exempted No expenses except the travel expenses on upto 40

national leaders of a recognised party and 20 ofregistered/unrecognised parties are exempted

Expenses made by well wishers, friends and relativesof the candidates are now added to the candidatesexpenditure

Expenses incurred by the parties to publicise its

policies and programmes are not included in thecandidates expenditure


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Electronic Media

Arrangement between Prasar Bharti and ElectionCommission

Free time on AIR and Doordarshan to National andState parties

Political parties can reach out to every corner Ensures level playing field

63 hours given during GE 1999, -- hours during GE2004

Indirect State funding Now being extended to the Private Channels

P ti f El ti


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Preparation for Elections

- Mobilisation of the Staff

Drawn from various Central and StateGovernment departments - no private individualassociated

Staff on deputation with the Commission Staff subject to Commission disciplinary

control

Staff mobilized & deployed by the CEO under

Commissions instruction

P ti f El ti


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- Deployment and Training of Staff

Staff of various districts and states can be mixed to ensurefairness

Staff given nominal honorarium

Deployment of Government employees keeps expenditure undercheck, enhances control

Trainingof ROs,EROs & Observers by the EC, of DEOs, DyDEOs, ROs & EROs by the CEOs and of the Polling staff bythe DEOs

Tainted and known to be aligned not associated Commission takes prompt action on complaints against staff

deployed

P ti f El ti


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- Procurement of Materials

Procurement of EVMs by the Commission

Other materials by the CEOs and DEOs

Standard procurement procedures followed Specifications of materials decided by the

Commission in case of non standard items

Advance planning by the Commission, CEOsand DEOs for procurement at their levels



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- Relationship with stakeholders

Commission hears complaints & concerns of all

political parties

All political parties given similar treatment

CEOs and DEOs call meetings of Political Parties for

electoral rolls, enforcement of code of conduct, for

deciding polling stations & counting centres

Any individual or NGO can offer suggestions or canfile complaints with the EC, CEOs & DEOs



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- Security Arrangements

Assessment for Central Forces requirement is madekeeping in mind the Law and Order situation

State police and central paramilitary forces deployed

based on requirements No police organ having any affiliation to the ruling

party deployed

Confidence building measures taken

Situations watched regularly - special directions given,if needed

Ob


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Observers

Appointed from senior civil servants

General Observers drawn from IAS

Expenditure Observers drawn from IRS

Statutory role for Observers Report directly to Commission

Eyes and ears of the Commission in the Constituencies

Nearly 2000 observers appointed in GE 2004

All counting centers covered


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Ingradients of a Credible Election

Correct electoral rolls - fair opportunity is given to allfor addition and deletion of names

Freedom for filing nominations to all eligible persons

No coercionfor abstention or casting votes

Proper enforcement of Model Code of Conduct tocreate a level playing field

Expenses by the candidates within the prescribed limits

Conditionsin which an average elector feels secure

for casting his vote freely without any fear Complete transparency in all electoral operations

G i R d l M h i


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Grievance Redressal Mechanism

Registration of electors

Complete transparency maintained during preparation and revision of voterlist

Provision of appeals and redressal of grievances at every level

Mechanism during the Campaign, the Poll and the counting of votes

Setting up Control Rooms, Helplines and a credible communication network

to facilitate filing of complaints and their timely redressal

Election Petitions after the results are declared

Can be filed by any elector or candidate

Heard by High Court of the State

Can lead to re-staging of the election

Filed within 45 days of declaration of results Appeals lie with Supreme Court

Information Technology


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gyand the EC Website

EC makes an extensive use of Information Technology

Dissemination of information amongst it offices through intranet and to thepublic through internet

The electoral rolls are computerised in all the state languages and are availableon the internet

EC website is a comprehensive resource center for Indian Elections with:

all election laws, manuals and handbooks

Election results Electoral rolls (Voter Lists)

EC servers are linked with all 1500 counting centers of the country on the pollday and results are made available in the real time

URL is www.eci.gov.in

Electoral Reforms
http://www.eci.gov.in/http://www.eci.gov.in/


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Electoral Reforms

Criminalisation of politics

Number of seats a person can contest

Ext Polls and Opinion Polls

Surrogate Advertisements on Print Media

Political Ads on TV and Cable network Party Accounts and its Audit

Government sponsored Advertisements

Negative/Neutral Voting

Decisions on Anti-defection cases

Other New Initiatives


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Other New Initiatives

Use of Electronic Voting Machines

Free time on state owned Electronic media for political parties - a steptowards state funding of elections

Check on criminalization of politics

Computer networking and use of Information Technology

Computerization of Electoral rolls

Photo I-Cards

Electoral rolls with photograph E-registration of electors

Publishing national voter register on the EC website with a credible searchmechanism

Use of the GIS in electoral management

Simplifying maintenance of accounts by candidates

Simplifying filing of accounts Streamlining procedure for registration

Model Code of Conduct

GE 2004 I t ti F t


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GE 2004Interesting Facts

1. The oldest Candidate, as well as winner was 94 years old.

2. The youngest elected MP is 26 years old.

3. The average age of elected MP is 52.6 years.

4. Out of 543 MPs, 45 are women.5. Maximum number of candidates was 35 in Madras South

Constituency.

6. Due to first-past-the-post system, about 2/3rdelected MPs

have less than 35% Votes polled (against number of Electors).


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Photo GalleryElections 2004

Officials at distribution center Officials checking EVMs and

polling materials

Officials carrying EVMs and

pollingmaterials

A group of Villagers with EPI

cardsOfficials carrying EVMsand pollingmaterials

Electors going to exercise their

FranchiseAn Elector familiarizing himself

regarding

functioning of EVM

h ll l i


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Photo GalleryElections 2004

An elder on way to cast hervote

Electors waiting in Q Indelible ink being markedon electors finger

Physically challenged

casting her voteChief Election

Commissioner casting

his vote

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam,

Honble President of India

after casting his vote


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Thanks

ECI Presentation

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