Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Thursday slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the alleged theft of voter data and said that this should be considered an "act of terror" and the accused in the case should be arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

New Delhi Jan 25 PTI Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday called for increasing the voter turnout to at least 75 per cent in the next Lok Sabha electionsIn his message at an event on the occasion of the 12th National Voters Day he said as a nation we must think and arrive at a consensus to have simultaneous elections to all the three tiers of federal set up and move towards better governance by focusing on all-round development of our peopleNaidu was the chief guest at the event but could attend the function as he is in home isolation in Hyderabad after testing positive for COVID-19In the 75th year of our Independence let us resolve to leave no voter behind and aim to increase the voter turnout to at least 75 per cent in the next general electionsLet each one realise that vote is not only a right but a responsibility he saidHis message was read out at the event in Hindi and English The vice president said the country has come a long way from the first general elections of 1952 when only 4487 per cent of the eligible voters turned up to voteIn the last general elections in 2019 6740 per cent or more than two-third of the eligible voters exercised their franchise he noted It is heartening to note that today we are among the highest voting nations in the world with a substantial increase of 50 per cent in voter turnout in 70 yearsThe Election Commission came into being on January 25 1950 a day before India became a republic For the past 12 years now the day is celebrated as National Voters DayThanks to initiatives like Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation SVEEP voter turnout has increased by 8 per cent from 5821 per cent in 2009 to 6644 per cent in 2014 he said I am delighted that in the last general elections in 2019 and for the first time women voter turnout was more than that of men by a margin of 017 per cent Naidu said Elections to five state assemblies last year held under Covid protocol formulated by the Commission has witnessed a huge voter turnout in the range of 74 per cent to 84 per cent he observed PTI NAB DV DV

Chandigarh Dec 30 PTI Punjab Chief Electoral Officer CEO S Karuna Raju on Thursday said transgenders can register as voters by giving an undertaking in case they do not have residential address proof He said transgenders will face no hassle in applying for voter ID cards as the Election Commission has simplified the documentation process Raju announced the measure during a virtual meeting with representatives of the transgender community held to discuss a strategy for their 100 per cent enrolment as voters The meeting came just months before Punjab assembly election where they will be able to exercise their franchise Yashwinder Singh and Manoj Benjwal from The Humsafar Trust Smriti Acharya and Archana Shetty from Netreach and Mohini Mahant and Madan from Mansa Foundation participated in the meeting according to an official release The CEO suggested appointing coordinators from the transgender community in each district to assist them with the process of obtaining voter ID cards He also said that various activities under the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation SVEEP programme were being conducted to sensitize transgenders of their voting rights This time we are creating awareness under the slogan Mahila Purush Atte Transgender Loktantar Vich Sab Barabar to encourage third-gender voters to cast their votes Raju said PTI CHS VSD VN VN

Guwahati Oct 28 PTI The election machinery in Assam has put in place all necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of by-polls to five assembly constituencies on October 30 As many as 796 electors are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 31 contestants in Gossaigaon Bhabanipur Tamulpur Mariani and Thowra constituencies a state Election Department release said here on Thursday To make sure that there is no problem on the law and order front and to keep a strong vigil on expenditure incurred the Election Commission of India ECI has appointed General Police and Expenditure Observers the release said Personnel of Central Armed Police Forces CAPF will be deployed at each polling station and live monitoring and webcasting have been arranged by the Chief Electoral Officer CEO Assam for monitoring the voting process live on October 30 as per the ECIs direction Webcasting will be done in all the 1176 polling stations including 285 in Gossaigaon 213 in Bhabanipur 322 in Tamulpur 183 in Mariani and 173 in Thowra constituencies To motivate voters for exercising their franchise and strictly follow COVID-19 protocol in the polling stations an awareness campaign is being conducted under the ECIs Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation SVEEP programme In the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic ECI has taken precautionary measures to ensure that all polling stations strictly follow COVID-19 safety protocols for the safety of voters and election officials Each polling station will be sanitised a day ahead of polling The facility of thermal scanning hand sanitisers face masks will also be made available at the polling stations the release said A total of 796456 electors including 393078 women and four third-gender persons are eligible to exercise their franchise There are also 3165 service voters 8864 electors above 80 years of age and 4 998 fall under the People with Disability PwD category Tamulpur has the highest number of voters at 217432 while Thowra has the lowest number of voters at 115971 voters To ensure an inclusive election the option of postal ballot facility has been extended to senior citizens above the age of 80 years PwDs COVID-19 suspect or affected persons in addition to people employed in essential services Arrangements like transport facilities for elderly people assistance to PwDs and senior citizens have also been made at the polling stations For the convenience of opting for transportation by registering online a mobile app-Divyaang Sarathi Nirvachan - has been developed for the PwD voters A total of 5410 polling personnel will be engaged the release said PTI ESB MM MM

Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], October 23 (ANI): Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday introduced the Garuda app for digital mapping of all polling stations by adding latitude and longitude by the Booth Level Officers (BLO), in order to ensure faster, smarter, transparent and timely completion of election work with ease.