Election Commission of India Facts

The Election Commission is responsible for fostering and nurturing the democratic process of India. ECI was formed in 1950 to take the responsibility of conducting elections in the country. ECI headquarters are located in New Delhi. ECI as three major members who are the Chief Election Commissioner and two other Election Commissioners who are appointed by the president. The Election Commissioners serve a term of six years in the office.

The subsidiaries of ECI are present in each state of India and are known as the State Election Commissions. The India electorate has 800,000 polling stations across the country and the electorate exceeds 668 million. Keeping these huge numbers in mind, it isn't an easy task for the commission to conduct the elections.

Functions of the Election Commission

The major functions performed by ECI are:

• One of the major functions of the ECI is to conduct free and fair elections. The list of elections held by the ECI include:

1. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Elections
2. State Legislative Assembly Elections
3. President and Vice President Elections
4. The state legislature and Parliamentary by-elections

• It is also the responsibility of ECI to ensure that the electoral roll for elections are prepared accurately and for voters who have successfully registered as voters in a constituency must not be allowed to vote in a different constituency.

• EC also has the duty of requisition of staff. It can request the government for requisition of staff such as army officers for the smooth conduct of elections. This is to prevent any form of malpractices such as false voting, booth jams and vote rigging.

• ECI also has the responsibility of appointing the election observers so that the elections are conducted in a fair manner.

• The EC also decides the schedule of the elections in state, local and national level elections. The schedule of elections is announced in a press conference headed by the Chief Election Commissioner. The prospective candidates can file their nominations after the model code of conduct is applied by the election commission.

• ECI also performs quasi-judicial roles such as ensuring that the code of conduct is followed by the voters and candidates. It also provides statements on cases of malpractices during elections.

• The ECI is also responsible for conducting by-elections.

• In certain situations, the polls are required to be canceled like if there is any malpractice, or the elections are rigged. In such situations, the ECI can order for fresh elections.

• Another responsibility of the ECI is the recognition of a new political party and also assigning symbols to the political parties.

• ECI also has the power to disqualify any candidate if they have not filed their affidavits and documents on time. EC provides advice to the president for potentially disqualifying any candidates if they are found guilty of malpractice.

• The Election Commission has the responsibility to monitor the activities of the voters and political parties.

• The ECI is required to provide regular updates to the media regarding the elections.