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 Kapil Sibal Questions Election Commission's Reluctance to Publish Poll Data In a recent press conference, senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal raised concerns over the Election Commission of India's (ECI) opposition to a plea demanding public disclosure of Form 17C data. Form 17C records the votes polled at each polling station and is signed by the Presiding Officer and given to the Polling Agent at the end of polling. This information is also directly sent to the ECI.  Sibal questioned the ECI's hesitation to upload this data on its website. "The ECI has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating it has no legal mandate to upload Form 17, which is a record of votes polled at a polling station. Now, why does the ECI not put that data on the website? What is their hesitation or problem?" Sibal said. He emphasized that public disclosure of this data would ensure transparency and address any discrepancies between the number of votes counted and the nu...

Uttar Pradesh Gears Up for First Phase of Lok Sabha Elections The electoral process for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh kicks off today, marking a crucial step in the democratic exercise of electing representatives to the lower house of the Indian Parliament. Nominations Process and Schedule From 11 am to 3 pm today, nominations will be accepted for eight constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, including Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, and others. This phase covers both general and reserved seats, with the nomination period ending on March 27. Scrutiny of nomination papers will occur on March 28, followed by the withdrawal of nominations on March 30. Voter Demographics and Polling Arrangements The first phase encompasses 1.43 crore voters across the eight Lok Sabha constituencies, underscoring the significant participation expected in this democratic process. With 7693 polling stations and 14842 polling places set up, extensive arrangements have been made to facili...

Balancing Political Funding and Donor Privacy in India Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar recently addressed the pressing need to balance transparency in political funding with the protection of donor privacy, especially in light of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Electoral Bond Scheme. The decision by the apex court to strike down the scheme, which allowed for anonymous funding to political parties, has brought forth crucial questions regarding the disclosure of political donations and the privacy rights of donors. Legal Framework: The legal framework governing political funding in India encompasses various laws and regulations aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability. Key among these is the Representation of the People Act, of 1951, which governs the conduct of elections and mandates the disclosure of election expenses by candidates and political parties. Additionally, the Finance Act, of 2017, introduced the Electoral Bond Scheme, providing a mechanism for ...