Charge and answer

Commission: differing notes are normal; all SIR decisions were unanimous

The Commission said written notes and differing views among its members are standard deliberation before decisions, that Commissioners' suggestions were for improving processes, and that all its decisions over the past year, including the SIR, were unanimous decisions of the full Commission. It said ECINET runs under strict security and audit controls and that EROs and DEOs exercise their statutory powers of registration and deletion.

Amit Shah: SIR is the Commission's exclusive domain, not Parliament's

Replying to the debate, Home Minister Amit Shah said the SIR falls within the Commission's constitutional powers and cannot be answered by the government in Parliament, cited earlier intensive revisions under Congress governments, and said the exercise removes the dead, the shifted, duplicates and foreigners. When Rahul Gandhi asked him to debate his three press conferences, Shah said Parliament would not run to his wishes.

CEC says 20 Haryana battery complaints received, EVMs foolproof

CEC Rajiv Kumar said the Commission had received 20 complaints from Congress candidates about EVM battery levels. He ruled out manipulation, saying machines were checked at each stage in the presence of candidates' agents, and said a detailed reply would follow.

ECI rejects Congress's Haryana complaints with 1,642 pages of replies

Centre tells court there is no 'disquieting feature' in Goel's appointment

Attorney General R. Venkataramani told the bench there was nothing disquieting about the appointment, that a selection mechanism and criteria existed, and that panels are drawn from a database of Secretary-rank officers. In the judgment the Court recorded his submission that there is a 'dearth' of officers who could serve a full six-year term.

Banerjee protests campaign ban, calls ECI decision unconstitutional

The day her 24-hour campaigning ban took effect, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat on a dharna at the Gandhi statue in Kolkata, protesting what she and her party described as the Election Commission's unconstitutional decision to bar her from campaigning.

CEC Arora calls dissent row 'unsavoury', says members need not be clones

CEC Sunil Arora issued a statement calling the reported controversy over Lavasa's dissent unsavoury and avoidable, said Commission members are not expected to be clones of each other, and said the full Commission would meet on 21 May on the issue. Lavasa described the matter as internal.