29 Oct 2024        14:40:58 pm

Political

Election Commission of India (ECI)

Tags : Election Commission of India (ECI)

Topic: Constitutional Bodies

Why in the news?

• A 12-member delegation of the Election Commission (EC) led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar visited Ranchi to review poll preparedness ahead of the Assembly election later this year.

Source: The Hindu 

About Election Commission of India (ECI):

• It is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India.
• It was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950 (celebrated as National Voters\' Day). The secretariat of the commission is in New Delhi.
• The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.
• It is not concerned with the elections to panchayats and municipalities in the states. For this, the Constitution of India provides for a separate State Election Commission.
• Part XV (Article 324-329) of the Constitution deals with elections and establishes a commission for these matters.
• Originally the commission had only one election commissioner but after the Election Commissioner Amendment Act 1989, it was made a multi-member body.
  • The Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the President may from time-to-time fix.
  • Presently, it consists of the CEC and two Election Commissioners (ECs).
• At the state level, the election commission is helped by the Chief Electoral Officer.
• The President appoints CEC and Election Commissioners as per the CEC and Other ECs (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
• They have a fixed tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
• The salary and conditions of service of the CEC and ECs will be equivalent to that of the Supreme Court Judge.
• Removal:
  • They can resign anytime or can also be removed before the expiry of their term.
  • The CEC can be removed from office only through a process of removal similar to that of a SC judge by Parliament, while ECs can only be removed on the recommendation of the CEC.
• Limitations:
  • The Constitution has not prescribed the qualifications (legal, educational, administrative or judicial) of the members of the Election Commission.
  • The Constitution has not specified the term of the members of the Election Commission.
  • The Constitution has not debarred the retiring election commissioners from any further appointment by the government.

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