Voting in Delhi will be in a single-phase assembly election on February 5, the Election Commission of India declared on Tuesday. The counting of votes in all 70 constituencies across Delhi will be held on February 8.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced at a press conference that, “It’s a single-phase election. The notification will be released on January 10. The last date of nomination will be January 17, evaluation on January 18, and withdrawal of nomination on January 20. The date of the poll is February 5, and counting will be held on February 8. The complete election process after counting will be finished by February 10.
CEC further said, India is the gold standard of elections. This is our common heritage and there is no chance of any irregularity in the commission; the procedures are so detailed. We are ready to punish if there are any faults made individually; we are to take punishment too.”
The election schedule was declared a day after the Election Commission released the final electoral roll for the elections. There are 1,55,24,858 registered voters in the national capital, marking a net increase of 1.09 percent.
CEC Rajiv Kumar also mentioned the Aam Aadmi Party’s allegations of voters’ names being deleted from the rolls. Kumar clarified his stance by saying, Due process has been followed rigorously in deletions or additions to voter lists; there is no room for any manipulation.”
“Stories on the electoral roll are still going on. There are around 70 steps in it: the 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; the draft is put up on the website; no deletion is possible until there is Form 7 produced.” Kumar further said.
CEC Rajiv Kumar also took into account the opposition parties’ accusations of electronic voting machines (EVMs) being tampered with during polls.
There is no evidence of manipulation or any drawback in the EVM. There is no question of introducing a virus or bug in the EVM. There is no question of fake 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 secure devices for counting. Claims of manipulation are baseless. We are stating now because we don’t speak when elections are on,” he said.
On the row around voter turnout data, Kumar said,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 everything.”
