The office of the Election Commission of India is set to witness hectic activity on Thursday as the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar will be first analysing the data related to the electoral bonds before sharing the details in the public domain as per the directions of the Supreme Court of India.
The State Bank of India (SBI) has already submitted the data related to the electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India on March 12. The deadline to upload the data in the public domain is March 15.
“The SBI was supposed to submit the data by March 12. They have given us the details in time. I will go back and look at the data (and) would disclose it in time,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told reporters here in Jammu after reviewing the poll preparedness ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The SBI is the authorised financial institution to issue electoral bonds. The SBI on Wednesday told the SC that a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were purchased by donors between April 1, 2019 and February 15 this year, out of which 22,030 were redeemed by political parties.
The poll panel arrived in Jammu on Wednesday to review preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha and much-awaited Assembly polls in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after holding consultations with the political parties in Srinagar.
Sharing his assessment before leaving for New Delhi, Rajiv Kumar said, “The Commission is concerned about holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but the final call on whether to hold two elections concurrently will be taken after thorough consultations with the security agencies and political parties.” He, however, said elections will be held soon without much delay.
“The majority of political parties we met in Srinagar and Jammu demanded that Assembly and Lok Sabha polls be held simultaneously,” Kumar told media persons at Jammu.
“Regarding holding Lok Sabha and Assembly polls simultaneously, we will take a final call after a thorough security review and consultations with the political parties.
“One thing is sure we want early Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in J&K,” he said.
“We are ready for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. We will ensure free and fair elections across the country. We request voters across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, to enthusiastically take part in the festival of democracy,” the CEC said.
He said a social media cell will be established in all districts to respond to fake news in real-time.
“Adequate security to be provided to all candidates and Central forces will be deployed,” he said.
Kumar said strict vigil will be maintained on online cash transfers through wallets in Jammu and Kashmir.
People above 85 years and those with a disability will be provided a voting at-home facility in J&K, he said.
A total number of 86.9 lakh electors will be participating in the maiden Assembly polls after the abrogation of Article 370.
A record number of 2886 centurions will be casting their vote in the much-awaited polls across 11629 polling stations. Out of these, a total number of all women 93 polling stations will be established across the Union Territory.
The election commission said 2.31 lakh first-time voters have been added in the summary revision of 2024.
