GS2Polity · Governance · IR·Polity & Constitution
Electoral Processes and Integrity for UPSC
57 notes · updated 2 Nov 2026
In the news
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to revise the ECINet portal software
The Election Commission of India is likely to revise the ECINet portal software to allow Appellate Tribunal judges in West Bengal to e-sign and upload orders.
- ECI tells Supreme Court it rejected "false" Form 7s amid alleged fraud in UP
The Election Commission of India informed the Supreme Court that it rejected 'false' Form 7 applications during the Uttar Pradesh Special Intensive Revision amid fraud allegations.
- EC appoints 11 nodal officers for Manipur Assembly polls in February-March next year
The Election Commission appointed 11 nodal officers on October 27, 2026, to oversee various administrative and logistical aspects of the Manipur Assembly polls scheduled for February-March 2027.
- Supreme Court defers hearing on ECI records excluding 13 crore voters
The Supreme Court deferred a hearing on a petition by Rahul Gandhi and others seeking records for a Special Intensive Revision exercise that excluded 13 crore voters.
- Andhra Pradesh SEC appoints 28 IAS officers as General Observers for local body elections
The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) appointed 28 IAS officers as General Observers to ensure free and fair local body elections.
- Supreme Court reprimands Election Commission for failing to trace 2023 counting video recordings
The Supreme Court reprimanded the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its inability to produce 2023 counting video recordings from Karnataka's Sringeri Assembly constituency.
- 124 former officials defend ECI against vote-rigging allegations in Supreme Court case
124 former IAS and IFS officials defended the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the Supreme Court against allegations of vote-rigging during the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
- EC officials to visit Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur for election preparedness
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is deploying Deputy Election Commissioners and officials to Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Manipur to oversee election preparedness for the upcoming assembly polls.
- The Election Commission of India informed the Madras High Court it
The Election Commission of India (ECI) informed the Madras High Court that bye-elections for five assembly constituencies will be deferred until election petitions are resolved.
- The Supreme Court emphasized in a judgment that the Election Commission
The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to eliminate black money's influence on elections to preserve the rule of law and voter choice.
- Madras High Court Restrains ECI From Notifying Byelections Until July 31
The Madras High Court restrained the Election Commission of India (ECI) from notifying byelections in five Tamil Nadu constituencies until July 31, 2026, to prevent potential dual representation.
- ECI announces bypolls for three seats, experts say it can choose timing
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced byelections for three Assembly seats in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, highlighting the ECI's discretionary powers regarding the timing of polls.
- Telangana HC asks ECI to consider Urdu forms in SIR exercise
The Telangana High Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider providing electoral enumeration forms in Urdu for constituencies with significant Urdu-speaking populations.
- EC begins preparations for bypolls to five vacant Assembly seats in T.N.
The Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu initiated preparations for by-elections to five Assembly seats following the resignations of the Chief Minister and four MLAs.
- Assembly elections 2026 LIVE: 'Ten lifetimes won't be enough', Abhishek Banerjee challenges BJP to contest from Falta
The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a complete repolling in all 285 polling stations of the Falta assembly constituency in West Bengal due to severe electoral offences.
- A false high: On voter turnout data, SIR impact
Experts raised concerns over the Election Commission of India (ECI) reporting record voter turnout in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, alleging that massive net voter deletions artificially inflated the turnout percentages.
- Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: ECI orders probe after video showing voter intimidation surfaces in Diamond Harbour
The Election Commission of India ordered a police probe after a video surfaced showing the intimidation of locals in Diamond Harbour, West Bengal, during the 2026 Assembly elections.
- Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: ECI orders suspension of Hingalganj OC over 'bias' in West Bengal
The Election Commission of India ordered the suspension of Sandip Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Hingalganj police station in West Bengal, following allegations of partisan behavior during the 2026 Assembly elections.
- Tamil Nadu elections 2026: Over 84% voter turnout in the State, highest in its electoral history
Tamil Nadu recorded its highest-ever voter turnout of 84.69% during the 2026 Assembly elections, a milestone noted by the Chief Election Commissioner.
- Assembly Elections 2026 LIVE: Bengal faced decade of lawlessness, says PM Modi
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting postal voting for senior citizens and persons with benchmark disabilities in Chennai district as part of the 2026 assembly elections.
- Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2026: K. Manivasan to be State’s Home Secretary
The Election Commission of India (ECI) directed the Tamil Nadu government to replace the incumbent Home Secretary with K. Manivasan to ensure neutrality during the 2026 Assembly elections.
- High turnout in Assembly polls historic testimony for India’s democracy: CEC
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar described the record voter turnout in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry as a historic testimony to India's democratic strength.
- Bombay HC quashes ECI notification for Goa’s Ponda bye-election, day before polling
The Bombay High Court quashed the Election Commission of India's notification for the Ponda Assembly bye-election because the remaining term of the Goa Legislative Assembly is less than one year.
- T.N. Assembly election: ECI issues official notification; filing of nominations begins
The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the official notification for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, initiating the nomination filing process.
- Assembly Elections 2026: Prevent allotment of reserved election symbols of one party to a member of another party, urges a PIL plea before Madras High Court
M.L. Ravi filed a PIL in the Madras High Court seeking a directive to the Election Commission of India to prevent candidates from other parties from using reserved election symbols.
- T.N. Assembly election: EC appoints special observer
The Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed Pratap Singh as Special Observer for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election to oversee surveillance and enforcement against illegal inducements.
- ECI reshuffles 13 IAS officers in West Bengal, appoints DM-cum-DEOs ahead of Assembly polls
The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a reshuffle of 13 IAS officers in West Bengal, appointing District Magistrates as District Election Officers (DEOs) ahead of the Assembly polls.
- Puducherry Assembly elections 2026: full schedule
The Election Commission of India announced the full schedule for the Puducherry Assembly elections to be held on April 9, 2026.
- ECI to announce Assembly poll dates for four States, one Union Territory today
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce the Assembly election dates for Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Puducherry today.
- Election Commission set to announce poll dates for West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry after panel’s Bengal visit
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting site visits to Kerala and West Bengal to review preparedness for upcoming Assembly elections scheduled between May and June 2026.
- ECI proposes synergy with SECs to align electoral processes nationwide
The Election Commission of India (ECI) proposed a synergy with State Election Commissions (SECs) to harmonize electoral laws and share resources like EVMs and electoral rolls.
- Preparations in full swing for 2026 Assembly polls in Kerala
Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer convened a meeting with political parties to outline preparations for the 2026 Assembly elections, emphasizing eco-friendly campaign protocols.
- Election Commission holds briefing for observers in poll-bound States
The Election Commission (EC) conducted briefings for 1,444 officers to be deployed as Central Observers for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
- Tamil Nadu SIR: Election Commission directed by SC to display voter discrepancies
The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publicly display voter discrepancies and reasons at ward-level locations to ensure transparency in the electoral roll.
- Election Commission uploads on website names of people on logical discrepancies list following Supreme Court order
The Election Commission of India (ECI) uploaded names of individuals on a 'logical discrepancies' list following a Supreme Court order to address inconsistencies in voter data.
- Barabanki MP says Uttar Pradesh SIRs show rural voters exceed total number of voters in State; SC asks Election Commission to explain
The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to investigate discrepancies where rural voter counts in Uttar Pradesh exceeded the total voter count in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) reports.
- Alongside SIR, preparations for 2026 Assembly polls kick off in Kerala
The Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala initiated first-level checks of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and security planning for the 2026 Assembly elections.
- EC appoints 5 nodal officers for EVM first-level checking ahead of 2026 Bengal Assembly polls
The Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed five nodal officers from other states to oversee the first-level checking (FLC) of EVMs for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
- Four IAS officers designated as special roll observers in Tamil Nadu
The Election Commission of India (ECI) appointed four IAS officers as special roll observers in Tamil Nadu to oversee the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
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Key facts
- Body: Election Commission of India (ECI) — responsible for voter list revisions note →
- Body: Election Commission of India (ECI) — Constitutional body responsible for conducting elections. note →
- Concept: Model Code of Conduct — enforced by observers to ensure election integrity note →
- Concept: Special Intensive Revision — a process to identify deceased, duplicate, and new voters in electoral rolls. note →
- Concept: Form 7 — the specific form used for the deletion of voters from the electoral roll note →
- Concept: Poll Management App — tool utilized by observers for oversight note →
Practice · 5 questions
How many voters currently have cases pending in the West Bengal Appellate Tribunals?
- (a)Over 50 lakh
- (b)Over 15 lakh
- (c)Over 38 lakh
- (d)Over 25 lakh
Answer
(c) Over 38 lakh — The note states that over 38 lakh voters have cases pending in the West Bengal Appellate Tribunals. Note →
With reference to the voter list revision process in Uttar Pradesh, consider the following statements:
- Form 7 is the specific form used for the addition of voters to the electoral roll.
- Fraud allegations were specifically cited in the Hata Assembly constituency.
- The Special Intensive Revision resulted in a final electorate of 13.39 crore.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a)1 only
- (b)3 only
- (c)1 and 3 only
- (d)2 and 3 only
Answer
(d) 2 and 3 only — Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Statement 1 is incorrect: Form 7 is used for the deletion of voters. Note →
With reference to the nodal officers appointed by the Election Commission for the Manipur Assembly polls, consider the following statements:
- The Election Commission assessed preparedness across 16 districts in Manipur.
- Hungyo Worshang was appointed as the nodal officer for expenditure monitoring.
- Kamei Angam Romanus was appointed as the nodal officer for transport management.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)3 only
- (d)1 and 2 only
Answer
(a) 1 only — Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is incorrect: He was appointed as the nodal officer for excise management. Statement 3 is incorrect: He was appointed as the nodal officer for law and order. Note →
Which body is responsible for the Special Intensive Revision exercise mentioned in the petition?
- (a)Election Commission of India
- (b)State Election Commission
- (c)Ministry of Home Affairs
- (d)National Election Authority
Answer
(a) Election Commission of India — The note identifies the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the body involved in the voter list revision. Note →
Which body is responsible for conducting local body elections in the state of Andhra Pradesh?
- (a)State Election Commission
- (b)Election Commission of India
- (c)District Election Authority
- (d)Ministry of Home Affairs
Answer
(a) State Election Commission — The State Election Commission (SEC) is the body responsible for conducting local body elections in Andhra Pradesh. Note →
More Polity & Constitution topics
Electoral Rolls and Voter Revision · Judicial Appointments and Accountability