A majority of opposition parties, including the Congress, have demanded a return to ballot paper or cross-checking of at least 30 per cent of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs). The demand was put forth at an all-party meet convened by the Election Commission Monday to discuss electoral reforms. Critics, however, believe that the opposition is […]
Month: August 2018
Opposition wants paper ballot in 2019: No faith in EVMs or excuse for fear of losing to BJP?
A majority of opposition parties, including the Congress, have demanded a return to ballot paper or cross-checking of at least 30 per cent of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs). The demand was put forth at an all-party meet convened by the Election Commission Monday to discuss electoral reforms. Critics, however, believe that the opposition is […]
Capping Political Parties’ Poll Spends: Will It Work?
The Election Commission of India is reported to have “proposed to the Law Ministry that a ceiling may be stipulated on election expenditure by political parties towards Parliamentary or Assembly elections.” Limits on what a candidate can spend on her/his election have been stipulated for a long time. Candidates are required to submit the expenditure incurred on […]
Who bought and sold electoral bonds to political parties? SBI refuses to divulge again
State Bank of India (SBI) has once again refused to divulge details, sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, of the Electoral Bond (EB) sale data of donors and recipient political parties, even though admitting that whatever little information it had was “goofed up” while handing it over to senior RTI activist, Venkatesh […]
SBI Accepts It Goofed Up RTI Data About Buyers of Electoral Bonds
While agreeing that the information officer made a mistake on electoral bonds sales data, the bank has said it won’t give information on donors and recipient political parties under the RTI. In June 2018, the State Bank of India (SBI) refused to disclose information about the buyers of electoral bonds (EBs) and the political parties […]