Image Source: LiveLaw
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is poised to announce the schedule for the impending Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for release this Saturday. With the current term of the Lok Sabha set to conclude on June 16, there is a pressing need to convene a new House before this deadline. Reflecting on the electoral cycle of 2019, where the Lok Sabha polls were officially announced on March 10 and spanned seven phases, commencing from April 11 and culminating in the vote counting process on May 23, there is a historical precedent guiding the upcoming electoral proceedings.
Central to the electoral process is the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, which will be activated upon the announcement of the election dates. This regulatory framework serves to uphold the integrity and fairness of the electoral process, setting guidelines for political conduct and campaigning practices.
As the nation gears up for the electoral spectacle, attention is also drawn to the states expected to hold elections in April/May, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim. Additionally, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand, have state assembly elections slated for the end of the year.
Also, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Wednesday that the Election Commission will determine whether to conduct Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections concurrently or separately in Jammu and Kashmir following a security assessment. The prolonged anticipation in Jammu and Kashmir appears to be nearing its conclusion, as the ECI contemplates the possibility of synchronized assembly and Lok Sabha polls. This deliberation underscores the complexity of the region’s security dynamics and political landscape, with the potential for significant implications for electoral governance and democratic processes. Against the backdrop of these impending elections, the urgency to constitute a new Lok Sabha before the prescribed deadline of June 16 looms large.
The forthcoming electoral cycle represents a critical juncture in India’s democratic journey, underscoring the nation’s commitment to participatory governance and electoral transparency. With the ECI at the helm of these proceedings, ensuring the smooth conduct of elections remains paramount, thereby upholding the democratic ethos enshrined in the country’s constitutional framework.
As the countdown begins to the unveiling of the election schedule, anticipation mounts, signaling the commencement of a vibrant democratic exercise that will shape the political trajectory of the nation for years to come.
ECI’s New Election Commissioners
Image Source: The Week
The ECI’ s new commissioners are past bureaucrats Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar were selected to fill the two vacant positions in the top panel of the Election Commission of India after the sudden resignation of Arun Goel the former election commissioner, just before the Lok Sabha elections which had sent shockwaves across the country. . The panel, which was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, included Mr. Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, the leader of the opposition, as a member. Mr. Sandhu and Mr. Kumar, both retired IAS officers of the 1988 batch, were chosen for their extensive experience and expertise. Mr. Sandhu hailed from the Uttarakhand cadre of IAS, while Mr. Kumar belonged to the Kerala cadre.
Prior to their appointments, Mr. Sandhu had held prominent government roles, such as Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand and chairman of the National Highways Authority of India. Meanwhile, Mr. Kumar had served as secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and in the Ministry of Cooperation under the leadership of Amit Shah.
Their selection came just a day before the Supreme Court was set to hear petitions challenging the selection process. In the previous process, a search committee, chaired by the Law Minister, had prepared a shortlist. Subsequently, a selection panel led by the Prime Minister and including the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, along with a Union Minister, made the final decision.
The Supreme Court had previously ruled, in March of the previous year, that the panel must comprise the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. However, the Centre later enacted a law to replace the Chief Justice with a Union Minister, thereby altering the dynamics of the process in favor of the Centre.
