Latest news with #PPawan
Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bihar voter verification: In 10 days, 94% of forms handed out, only 21% filled and returned
On the 12th day of the month-long Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar on Sunday, the Election Commission (EC) said that the initial phase of the campaign of printing and distributing enumeration forms to all the registered voters in the state is 'almost complete' and that 21.46% of the filled out forms had been submitted. 'The initial phase of the exercise, during which enumeration forms were to be printed and distributed, is almost complete with the forms being made available to all electors who were available,' EC Deputy Director P Pawan said in a statement. However, there is a significant backlog in the number of forms uploaded to the poll body's ECINET database, with only around 7.25% of the 1.69 crore now up on the system. 'The partially filled forms are also available for download on the portal as well on the ECINET app. The filled forms can be uploaded by the electors themselves on the app,' Pawan said. Till 6 pm Sunday, EC data shows that enumeration forms of 1.69 crore (21.46%) of nearly 7.9 crore electors enrolled as on June 24, 2025, have been received. 'In the last 24 hours 65.32 lakh enumeration forms have been collected. There are still 19 days to go for the last date for submission of forms,' Pawan noted. Another data set provided by the office of the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) showed that as of July 5, 23.9 lakh forms were uploaded on the ECINET system, of which Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) put up 23.14 lakh forms, while 75,789 voters directly uploaded them online. Vaishali tops the list in the collective submissions (BLO and citizen-initiated uploads) with over 1.78 lakh forms submitted. It is followed by Patna (1.69 lakh), East Champaran (1.46 lakh), Nalanda (1.37 lakh), and Samastipur (1.05 lakh). The bottom-five districts are Lakhisarai (4,674 forms), Buxar (14,415), Kaimur (17,781), Munger (19,532), and Sheohar (22,317). In terms of collection percentage too, Vaishali tops the list with 25.83% forms collected. It is followed by Supaul (22.46%), Nawada (22.29%), Kaimur (21.98%), and Arwal (20.54%). The lowest collection percentages till now are in Saharsa (6.43%), Katihar (7.54%), Aurangabad (8.18%), Lakhisarai (8.93%), and Madhubani (9.39%). The EC has said 77,895 BLOs are conducting door-to-door drives to help 'electors fill out the enumeration forms' and that in many cases 'photographs are being taken for immediate uploads'. A senior EC official said more than 20,000 additional BLOs had been pressed into service to ensure the timely completion of the drive. 'They (BLOs) are being supported by over 1.5 lakh booth-level agents in addition to the four lakh volunteers, including government servants and National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme members to assist the elderly, persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups,' the official said. Bihar CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyaal said the poll panel was actively collaborating with all stakeholders to spread awareness among voters and ensure no eligible voter is left out. A total of 239 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 963 Assistant EROs, 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), along with the state CEO, are involved in the drive.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
ECI launches 23 new reforms to strengthen electoral process
Vijayawada: In a move to bolster the electoral process, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out 23 new initiatives spanning six key areas — electors, political parties, election staff, legal stakeholders, procedural reforms, and internal enhancements within the commission. During an informal briefing in Velagapudi on Friday, P Pawan, deputy director (media division), said the ECI introduced a first-of-its-kind mobile deposit facility at polling booths. This service, aimed at easing the voting experience, was piloted during the recently held bye-elections for five assembly seats across four states. Among other initiatives, the ECI has increased the number of polling stations and capped the maximum number of voters per station at 1,200. To improve accessibility, additional booths are now being established in high-rise buildings and residential colonies to encourage greater voter participation. Elaborating more about the initiatives for political parties, Pawan mentioned that the ECI successfully conducted capacity-building programmes for booth level agents of political parties of Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry states at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Pelajari Undo Subsequently, the canvassing norms in terms of distance were reduced to 100 metres from the entrance of polling stations. Moreover, the ECI held Pan India all-party meetings at the CEO/DEO/ERO levels. "A total of 4,719 meetings, including 40 meetings at the CEO level, 800 at DEO, and 3,879 at ERO levels, were held with over 28,000 representatives from various political parties participating in the meetings," the ECI deputy director added. Drawing attention to the procedural reforms, the ECI official said to resolve the bogus voters issue, the ECI introduced a new mechanism for unique EPIC numbers. Also, the full-fledged digitisation and upgradation of the voter turnout rate (VTR), index card, and statistical reports publishing process for faster dissemination of VTR trends and other electoral data was taken up by the ECI. Furthermore, over one lakh booth level officers (BLOs) and supervisors would be trained in the next few years, with training for 3,000 booth level supervisors completed at IIIDEM, New Delhi. In addition, the BLOs will be given a standard photo ID card, the ECI official added.
Hans India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Media crucial in boosting voter turnout: ECI
Vijayawada: Elections are paramount in establishing governments elected by the people in a democratic system, and media plays a crucial role in increasing voter turnout during these elections, said P Pawan, deputy director (media division) of the Election Commission of India (ECI). He urged regional media representatives to collaborate with the ECI to expand its communication reach and impact at the regional level, thereby empowering voters. A face-to-face programme was held on Friday at the Secretariat involving representatives from print, electronic, and social media. Pawan was the chief guest and engaged in an interactive session with media personnel. During the discussion, Pawan elaborated on 23 new initiatives undertaken by the ECI to strengthen the electoral process in a democratic system. He also detailed the facilities provided to voters, political parties, and election staff, along with procedural reforms, legal measures, and ECI's new innovations and resources. Referring to the key reforms and initiatives, Pawan said that a Special Summary Revision (SSR) programme is being conducted before the by-elections after nearly 20 years. Voter information slips will be more useful, clearly showing the voter's serial and part numbers. Data from the RGI (Registrar General of India) database regarding death registrations will be collected and, after verification, changes will be made to the voter list. A maximum of 1,200 voters are allowed per polling station. Mobile deposit facilities for voters and additional polling booths in apartments/colonies are also being arranged. The campaign distance limit from the polling station entrance has been reduced to 100 metres. A total of 4,719 meetings were held nationwide with all parties at the CEO/DEO/ERO levels, with over 28,000 political party representatives participating. The digitisation of Voter Trend Reports (VTR), index cards, and statistical reports is being expedited for faster dissemination. A new comprehensive dashboard, ECINET, has been launched, replacing over 40 apps/websites with a single application to provide all services in one place simultaneously. The implementation of a unique EPIC number system has resolved the issue of duplicate EPIC numbers. A national conference of lawyers and CEOs is being organised to strengthen the ECI's legal framework and review laws. A total of 28 stakeholder categories (voters, officials, parties, candidates and others) have been identified for training programmes based on the Representation of the People Acts (1950, 1951), Registration of Electors Rules (1960), Conduct of Elections Rules (1961), and ECI guidelines. Pawan also mentioned that information related to the Election Commission of India and the electoral process is made available to citizens through various websites and social media platforms.
New Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
ECI initiates technical consultations on Aadhaar-Voter ID linking
PUDUCHERRY: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun technical consultations with UIDAI to explore the modalities of linking Aadhaar with Voter ID cards in a bid to streamline voter identification and prevent electoral fraud. 'This is basically to work out the modalities for the linking and make it seamless,' said P Pawan, Deputy Director (Media Wing), ECI, while addressing the media in Puducherry on Tuesday. As part of broader electoral reforms, Pawan highlighted the implementation of a new mechanism to identify and resolve duplicate entries in the Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) database. 'Duplicate issues have been found and resolved in about 0.3% of the EPICs,' he stated. A major digital upgrade is also on the horizon with the rollout of ECINET, a new integrated dashboard designed to replace nearly 40 separate websites and applications currently used by the Commission.
