The 2024 National Election in India

[Aupmanyav]

Well, India votes on April 19, 26; May 7, 13, 20, 25 and June 1 (7 phases - time required to transport security forces from one place to another) along with elections in four states (Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh) and in 22 Assembly constituencies in various sates.

7-phase LS polls from April 19-June 1; courting on June 4

The elections will begin on April 19 followed by subsequent phases on April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.

www.rediff.com

1.05 million polling booths, 5.5 million electronic voting machines with paper records, proceedings at sensitive booths will be viedo-recorded, 18.2 million government officials will help in conducting the elections (those who will conduct the elections and the security forces who will help for the peaceful conduct of the elections). Results on June 4, all in one day for all who vote out of 969 million (average some 66%), since the process is electronic.

An interesting first: Candidates who have criminal cases against them, will have to give three advertisements in newspapers about them.

“Candidates with criminal antecedents will have to publish their crime records in newspapers etc. 3 times before the poll.
Also, political parties will have to give a list of candidates with criminal antecedents in home page of their websites. Also, reasons of their selection.”

There's Not Much to Celebrate in EC Saying Candidates Have to Declare Criminal Records

All that the announcement does is to follow exactly what several judgments of the Supreme Court have ordered.

thewire.in

As for how the elections will be held in 2029, it is for the peoples' representatives selected in this election to decide.

Other firsts: Handicapped and people over 85 can vote from home.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister and the Chief of Aam Admi Party (AAP), is under investigation for formulating a liquor policy and in return receiving clandestine money from a liquor combine to the tune of 36 million USD which was used by his party for elections in Goa.
The three member bench of Justice Khanna of Supreme Court remanded him to the custody of Enforcement Directorate for six days, and also called for investigation of AAP in such clandestine activities. Three of his ministerial colleagues are already in jail. Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Jain. K. Kavita, the daughter of the former Telangana Chief Minister KT Rama Rao, also is in jail for the same case.
Kejriwal called himself the most honest politician in the country. Kejriwal's party is in absolute majority in Punjab and Union Territory of Delhi. He says that he will run the Delhi government from jail which is highly immoral.
He is the second working Chief Minister to go to jail. Earlier the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren was sent to jail for corruption.

 

[Vinayaka]

Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister and the Chief of Aam Admi Party (AAP), is under investigation for formulating a liquor policy and in return receiving clandestine money from a liquor combine to the tune of 36 million USD which was used by his party for elections in Goa.
The three member bench of Justice Khanna of Supreme Court remanded him to the custody of Enforcement Directorate for six days, and also called for investigation of AAP in such clandestine activities. Three of his ministerial colleagues are already in jail. Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Jain. K. Kavita, the daughter of the former Telangana Chief Minister KT Rama Rao, also is in jail for the same case.
Kejriwal called himself the most honest politician in the country. Kejriwal's party is in absolute majority in Punjab and Union Territory of Delhi. He says that he will run the Delhi government from jail which is highly immoral.
He is the second working Chief Minister to go to jail. Earlier the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren was sent to jail for corruption.

Such complications make me think a lot. Is anyone else controlling the Supreme Court, for example. Who appoints them in India? Here, many of the court members are appointed by whichever party is in power, and obviously many are plainly patronage appointments. In other words, how high does corruption go?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Judges chosen by judges (at national level or at state level) control the courts. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and four of the senior most judges of the Supreme Court. They also control the transfer of judges from one court to another. That group is termed as the Collegium. It is completely independent. The government is not involved in the process. Some of the four judges will go on to become the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court. I do not know if any other country has such transparent system of appointment of judges. We know who will be the Chief Justices of India till 25th May, 2031 (barring the premature death of any judge). In that case also, seniority in the Court will apply without any involvement of the government. The system is a matter of pride with us.

Next 8 Chief Justices of India - Supreme Court Observer

If the seniority principle is followed, these 8 Judges will lead the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice till 2031.

www.scobserver.in

The list has one woman Chief Justice who will rule for just about a month and a Zoroastrian (Pardiwala) who will be there for two years (2029-30).

 

[sayak83]

Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister and the Chief of Aam Admi Party (AAP), is under investigation for formulating a liquor policy and in return receiving clandestine money from a liquor combine to the tune of 36 million USD which was used by his party for elections in Goa.
The three member bench of Justice Khanna of Supreme Court remanded him to the custody of Enforcement Directorate for six days, and also called for investigation of AAP in such clandestine activities. Three of his ministerial colleagues are already in jail. Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Jain. K. Kavita, the daughter of the former Telangana Chief Minister KT Rama Rao, also is in jail for the same case.
Kejriwal called himself the most honest politician in the country. Kejriwal's party is in absolute majority in Punjab and Union Territory of Delhi. He says that he will run the Delhi government from jail which is highly immoral.
He is the second working Chief Minister to go to jail. Earlier the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren was sent to jail for corruption.

It's patently obvious that the ED arrest of a sitting chief minister in a 5 year long case, just a month before the national election is just another strategy of the BJP to have a defacto uncontested opposition free election victory. This has been the strategy of the BJP since the beginning. Indian judicial systems take 10-20 years to resolve any case, so it's standard to use agencies to harass and imprison opponents for decades or more while the case slowly grinds on. Further Indian judicial system has scant provision on punishing the agencies or the police if the case ultimately falls apart.
Of course all political parties do it in their own states as well. So it's not as if BJP is alone in such misuse.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Kejriwal got the first ED notice on Nov. 2. Since then ED called him 8 times and he did not appear before ED. Why blame ED now for arrest before elections? The ED call has been supported by the Delhi State High Court and the Indian Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has also directed the Enforcement Directorate to check whether transactions by Kejriwal's party make a case for disqualification of his party.

Delhi Liquor Policy Case: Why Political Party, Which Is Alleged To Be Beneficiary, Not Made An Accused? Supreme Court Asks ED In Manish Sisodia's Bail. (Manish Sisodia is Kejriwal's deputy in Delhi State Assembly)

Delhi Liquor Policy Case: Why Political Party Not Made An Accused Though Alleged To Be Beneficiary? Supreme Court Asks ED In Manish Sisodia's Bail

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (04.09.2023,) while hearing the plea of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lead

www.livelaw.in

 

[Aupmanyav]

Arunachal: Polling Team To Trek 39 Km For Lone Voter In Malogam Village

ITANAGAR- On April 18, a team of polling officials will trek nearly 39 kilometres on foot through treacherous terrain to set up a voting booth in a remote corner of Arunachal Pradesh

arunachal24.in

Finance Minister of India, economy at 3.7 trillion, world's fifth. We will soon know PM Modi's assets when he applies as a candidate from Varanasi.
In 2022, they were at USD 267,000.

Can't fight elections, don't have money: Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said she declined the offer of the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest elections pleading that she did not have the 'kind of funds' required for fighting the Lok Sabha polls.

www.rediff.com