Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Election Commission Introduces Mobile Deposit Facility and Updates Canvassing Rules

New reforms aim to enhance voter convenience and maintain ballot secrecy, starting with Bihar assembly elections later this year.

Image
Starting Bihar elections, voters have to deposit mobile phones at polling booths
Image
Image

Overview

  • Voters will now deposit mobile phones at designated counters outside polling stations, with phones strictly prohibited inside polling stations.
  • Canvassing booths for distributing unofficial voter slips are now permitted 100 meters from polling station entrances, reduced from the previous 200-meter limit.
  • Electioneering activities remain banned within a 100-meter radius of polling stations to ensure a confidential voting process.
  • Returning Officers can exempt specific polling stations from the mobile deposit requirement under adverse local conditions.
  • These reforms, aligned with the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, will be piloted during the Bihar assembly elections and upcoming by-elections in June.