Delhi Assembly Election 2008
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GENERAL ELECTION {2008} TO THE 4th DELHI LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY REPORT AND STATISTICAL DETAILS CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER OLD ST. STEPHEN’S COLLEGE BUILDING, KASHMERE GATE, DELHI Webstie: www.ceodelhi.nic.in GENERAL ELECTION TO LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF DELHI, 2008 1. INTRODUCTION: The term of the third Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi was due to expire on 17/12/2008. The Election Commission of India, in pursuance of Section 30 of Representation of the People Act, 1951(43 of 1951) announced the schedule for Election to Legislative Assembly in NCT of Delhi on 14.10.2008. (Copy of Press Note note is enclosed vide Annexure –I). The Lieutenant Governor of NCT of Delhi in pursuance of the provisions contained in Sub-Section (2) of Sec. 15 of the Representation of People Act. 1951 ( 43 of 1951) on 4th November 2008, called upon all the seventy Assembly Constituencies to elect members in accordance with the provisions of the said Act and of the Rules & Orders made thereunder. (Copy of the Notification at Annexure II & III). The schedule notified by the Commission was as follows:- (i) Date of Issue of Gazette Notification : 04.11.2008 (ii) Last Date for making nominations : 11.11.2008 (iii) Date for the scrutiny of nomination : 12.11.2008 (iv) Last Date for the withdrawal of candidatures : 14.11.2008 (v) Date of Poll : 29.11.2008 (8.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M.) (vi) Counting of votes : 08.12.2008 Due to death of one of the candidate, the election in 30-Rajinder Nagar Assembly Constituency was held on 13.12.2008 and the counting of votes took place on 15.12.2008. 2. ORGANISATIONAL SET UP: The office of the CEO Delhi is entrusted with a task of preparation of Photo Electoral Rolls and conduct of elections to the Legislative Assembly of Delhi and Parliamentary Seats of Delhi under the supervision of Election Commission of India The office headed by Chief Electoral Officer, who is also Secretary(Elections), Govt of NCT of Delhi. There are seven Parliamentary and seventy Assembly Constituencies in Delhi. Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi has its HQ at Old St.Stephen’s College Building, Kashmere Gate, Delhi with secretariat of about 80 staff members. She is assisted by three Jt.CEOs and one Dy. CEO at Headquarter. The Election Commission of India had notified nine Dy. Commissioners of the Revenue Districts In NCT of Delhi as District Election Officer for the constituencies falling under their jurisdiction. In Delhi there are 27 SDMs and 9 ADMs notified as Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers of the Assembly Constituencies. There is an office in each of the 70 Assembly Constituencies in Delhi dedicated for providing round the year election related services to the citizens of Delhi. These offices are called Voter Registration and EPICs Centres(VRECs). These offices are headed by Assistant Electoral Registration Officer(AEROs), an officer of Superintendent level and assisted by 3 officials on regular basis and 2 officials on contractual basis. CEO, Delhi had to monitor the working of election machinery continuously by having regular meetings with the DEOs, ROs, EROs and AEROs. The conduct of election in Delhi is a gigantic task as arrangements have to be made for more than 107 lacs electors and polling had to be conducted in nearly 11000 Polling Stations. Gigantic task force for conducting Assembly Elections consists of nearly 72800 Polling personnel and 51000 Police and other security personnel. The huge Election machinery was deemed to be on deputation to the Election Commission of India and subject to its direction, control and superintendence during the election period. 3 DELIMITAION OF CONSTITUENCIES : These Elections were the 1st Assembly Elections conducted after delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in NCT of Delhi. With the implementation of delimitation order, 19 names of the Assembly Constituencies did not find place in the list of the newly delimited Assembly Constituencies. 4. PHOTO ELECTORAL ROLLS: As per the directions of ECI the exercise for preparation of the photo electoral rolls was concluded with the final publication of photo electoral rolls on 15.10.2008. The election machinery launched a massive exercise of checking of each and every entry with all the available documents identified and rectified all the mistakes in the finally published photo electoral rolls. As a part of the exercise, a large number of EPICs were prepared and got delivered by BLOs or any other official deployed by Election Office for this purpose at their residence. 5. ELECTORAL DATA : For these Election, 107,27 lakh electors with 59.67 lakh males and 47.60 lakh females were eligible for exercising their franchise. These figures were 84.48 lakhs, 47.56 lakhs and 37.92 lakhs respectively during the Assembly Election 2003. 6. POLLING STATIONS : There are 10838 main polling stations and 315 auxiliary polling stations, totaling 11153 polling stations in all the seventy assembly constituencies. These polling stations are located in 2510 polling premises. The average number of electors per polling station has been worked out to be 962. 7. FACILITY FOR HANDICAPPED/ SENIOR CITIZENS : Ramps were provided at all the polling stations for the Handicapped persons. All the polling stations were set up only at the ground floor. Braille were provided on Electronic Voting Machines for casting of votes by blind persons. Instructions were issued to all the Returning Officers to provide the facility of separate queue primarily for the physically challenged persons and senior citizens. 8. DATA OF CANDIDATES : In 70 Assembly Constituencies, the number of candidates filed their nominations was 1134, 194 of them were rejected and 65 of them withdrew their nominations. The number of contesting candidates for the poll to be held 29.11.2008/13.12.2008 has been 875. The total number of contesting candidates in Assembly Elections 2003 were 817. The number of contesting candidates was highest with 25 candidates in 40-New Delhi Assembly Constituency and lowest with 3 candidates in 66-Ghonda Assembly Constituency. Out of 875 candidates 81 were women candidates. 9. OFFICERS/OFFICIALS FOR POLL : About 73856 numbers of officers/officials were available with the Returning Officers, out of which 56215 were utilized for formation of polling teams, 5887 for deployment on Voter Assistance Booths, 1154 for deployment as Micro observers, 1248 for appointment as Sector Officers and 9352 as Reserved Officials. All the officers/officials were imparted with their job specific training. 10. POLICE ARRANGEMENTS : As per the information received from the Nodal Officers of Delhi Police, about 51000 number of police personnel were deployed for ensuring free and fair election. Out of this number, 33134 belonged to Delhi Police, 9000 Home Guards were drawn from Haryana, 5000 Home Guards from UP and 4000 Home Guards from Delhi. Delhi Police set up its 40 Pickets at different locations bordering the neighboring states Haryana and U.P. Delhi Police has also deployed Crime Teams at 12 locations and Bomb Disposal Squads at 10 locations. On the day of Poll Delhi Police ambulances were deployed at 12 locations and the Cats Ambulances were deployed at 28 locations. As per information received from the Election Cell of Delhi Police, following action were taken by them: (i) No. of unlicensed arms seized - 12 (ii) Cartridges - 22 (iii) Licensed arms deposited/impounded and cancelled - 382 (iv) Number of persons bound down u/s 107/116 Cr.PC etc. - 86 (v) Execution of Non Bailable Warrants (a) Pending - 2258 (b) Executed - 126 (vi) No. of incidents of violence relating to poll campaign/ Political rivalry etc. - 3 11. ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES (EVMs) : The number of Electronic Voting Machines made available to the Returning Officers were 13390. 2ND Ballot Unit was used in 10 Assembly Constituencies where the number. of candidates exceeded 16. These Assembly Constituencies were 02-Burari(24), 09-Kirari(23), 21-Matia Mahal(19), 27-Rajouri Garden (22), 31-Vikas Puri(20), 40- New Delhi(25), 54-Okhala(19), 60-Krishna Nagar(18), 69-Mustafabad(17) and 70-Karawal Nagar(23). Inspection and testing of these EVMs was got done by M/s Bharat Electronic Ltd., Banglore at the places of their storage. The services of technical personnel from M/s BEL, were utilized for preliminary checking and during the preparation of machines by the Returning Officers and on the day of polling and counting. 12. TRAINNG : Though the public of Delhi at large had already voted on EVMs and were aware of it, yet the major challenge was in training all the Sector Officer, Presiding Officers and polling officers in the use of EVMs. To dispel any doubts about use of EVMs, demonstrations on functioning of EVMs were given to the staff, media as well as political parties. Further, in order to ensure that DEOs/ROs/AROs are properly trained on EVMs, their training were arranged at the HQ through ECI and BEL Officials. Close to the date of poll, advertisements were published in the newspapers about the use of EVMs. Apart from the training on the use of EVMs other training like Voter Assistant Booth, Conduct of Poll etc. were also conducted at the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer. 13. POLL DAY, A PAID HOLIDAY : As required under section 135B of Representation of the People Act 1951, public holiday had been declared on 29.11.2008 to enable the people to cast their vote. It was applicable to all persons employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or any other establishment. 14. BAN ON SALE OF LIQUOR : The Excise Department of Govt. of NCT of Delhi declared “Dry Days” w.e.f. 27.11.2008(5.oo P.M.) to 29.11.2008(upto 5.00 P.M.) due to Poll and on 8.12.2008 on the day Counting .