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Through the State elections you are electing the Members of the State Legislature who will represent your constituency at the state level. The State Legislature might have an Vidhan Parishad (Upper House) or not, but it always has the Vidhan Sabha (Lower House). Each member of Lower House of a state is elected for 5Read more

It is a crime to interfere with the voting rights of members of SCs or STs. If you do any of the following, you will be punished with imprisonment anywhere between 6 months and 5 years along with a fine: Force them to vote in a certain way. Stop them from standing for elections. StopRead more

There is a ban on loudspeakers during the silence period – 48 hours prior to the date of polling. It cannot be fitted on any vehicles, buildings, etc., and if anyone does this, it is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). After the 48 hours are over, proper permissions from the District AdministrationRead more

There is a ban on  liquor 48 hours before elections. The day(s) on which a constituency observes a silent period is a dry day. The law requires all liquor shops to be closed 48 hours before the date of polling to prevent consumption, distribution of alcohol and bribing of voters. States are responsible for makingRead more

Conducting conferences and interviews 48 hours before elections is forbidden. During the 48 hours before polling, candidates and political parties should not address the media on election matters by press conferences and interviews.Read more

Advertisements or sponsored programmes or reports which support or criticize a candidate with an intention to influence the election cannot be broadcasted on the television or the radio. If general events relating to a political party are broadcasted which does not influence the public in any manner then it can be broadcasted via TV or the radio.Read more

The law prohibits any public meetings which discuss elections through: Musical concerts Theatrical performances Processions Other forms of entertainment No person can convene or hold, attend or join or address any public meetings which are in connection with elections 48 hours before the date of polling. For example: A candidate cannot gather a group ofRead more

In the period of 48 hours (2 days) before voting day, all election related campaigning stops – it is called the silence period. This applies to both State and General (for example, Lok Sabha) elections.  No one – citizens, journalists, candidates, election agents, movie actors, theatre artists, etc. –  is allowed to do election related campaigning.Read more

The National, State and District Contact Centre Toll-Free number is 1950 and is operational between 8 am to 8 pm, both in Hindi and English. An agent will ask you for information regarding your name, mobile number and email ID and then you can ask for help regarding any issue. You can : Ask forRead more

There are options of reporting and complaining during elections. If you have any complaints due to lack of action etc. by authorities, there are many ways to contact the election authorities: Going to the Officer You can send a letter to the Electoral Regional Officer, Chief Election Officer or the District Election Officer and fileRead more

Please follow the steps given below to know how to vote.  Before you go to the polling station, please verify if your name is on the electoral roll of your constituency. You can do that by checking the list here. Indian Resident Voter: Take your Voter ID card with you to the polling station. IfRead more

You may vote without a voting card. You can carry any of the following documents to the polling station to cast your vote: Voter ID Card/EPIC Aadhar Card MNREGA Job Card Passbook issued by Bank/Post Office with Photo Driving license Service Identity Cards (issued to employees by Central or State Government/PSUs/Public Limited Company) PAN CardRead more

Verifying your name on the electoral roll is important. Before you go to the polling station to cast your vote, you can verify if your name is included in the electoral list of your constituency, by any of the following methods: Online You can visit NVSP’s Electoral Search website and fill in the required details,Read more

Follow the steps given below to find your polling station to vote.  Polling Booth/Station If you are a registered voter with a Voter ID Card, then you have to visit a polling station on the voting day in your constituency. A polling booth or station is fixed at a building or a hall l whereRead more

Announcement of Voting Day The announcement of voting dates will be made by the Election Commission of India and it is made available on their website. It will include the dates on which voting will take place in your State. Paid Holiday The day on which voting takes place in your constituency, it is supposedRead more

It is possible to remove a voter from the electoral list. The Electoral Registration Officer issues a notice with the draft of the names of the voters, so that you can object to any of the names. This list is also sent to all the political parties and will be displayed on the website ofRead more

You can apply to change your details provided in your Voter ID card only for the specific reasons given below: In case of incorrect name, age, Date of birth, etc. If you wish to change or correct your name, photo, age, Voter ID Card Number or EPIC number, address, date of birth, gender, name ofRead more

If you are an NRI you still have a right to vote in India. You are eligible to vote in the constituency area of the address given in your passport. You can fill out the application Form 6A online. You can even fill this form in person by either obtaining a copy from the ElectoralRead more

If you are a service voter belonging to either of the following two categories, then you have an option to vote through a proxy at your home constituency: Armed forces of the Union Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Seema Sashastra Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, General Engineering ReserveRead more

Once you have received your ballot papers, follow the steps mentioned below to cast your vote as a service voter: Step 1 Put a tick mark (✓) or cross mark (x) next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for. You must not write or mark anything on the ballot paper thatRead more

You can register your name as a service voter in the electoral roll of your home constituency, i.e. where your permanent residence is. You also have the option to register as a general voter at the place you are posted at, like a military cantonment area, but subject to the following conditions: You must beRead more

Moving to the Voting Compartment An Electronic Voting Machine consists of two Units – a Control Unit and a Balloting Unit – joined by a five-meter cable. The Control Unit is kept with the Presiding Officer or a Polling Officer and the Balloting Unit is placed inside the voting compartment, where you vote. The PresidingRead more

If you are registered as a service voter in your home constituency, i.e. constituency where your permanent residence is, and you are posted elsewhere when the elections are announced, the Returning Officer of your home constituency will send you and your wife postal ballots. The Returning officer will send you the following forms/papers for youRead more

You are a service voter  if you are currently a: Member of Armed Forces – Army, Navy and Air Force. Member of Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Seema Sashastra Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, General Engineering Reserve Force and Border Roads Organisation under Border Roads Development Board. MemberRead more

You can register for a new Voter ID Card for free either in person or online by filling out Form 6, which is the application form to register as a voter in India. If you meet all the requirements, your name will be added to an ‘electoral roll’ which is a list of names ofRead more

Every Indian citizen over the age of 18 has the right to participate and vote in national, state, district as well as local government body elections. You have to register yourself as a voter on the electoral roll of your constituency. To register on the electoral roll you have to ensure that: You are aRead more

Through the Lok Sabha elections you are electing the Members of Parliament who will represent your constituency at the national level. A representative elected in the General Elections is elected for a term of 5 years to the lower house of the Parliament. The Lok Sabha elections also decide who will be the Prime MinisterRead more

A candidate or his agents cannot cannot ply voters to the polling station i.e. provide conveyance to voters to or from a polling station on voting day. This punishment for doing this is a fine of up to Rs. 500. For example, A party or a candidate cannot hire a bus and give rides toRead more

The use of any official vehicles for campaigning or election-related travel from the date of announcement of elections till the completion of elections is not allowed. But, if a political leader is under threat of extremist and terrorist activities and requires security, he can request the Election Commission for the use of an official vehicle.Read more

Government advertisements usually inform the public of their rights, duties and entitlements and also explain government policies, programmes, services and initiatives. In order to prevent achieve this purpose, government advertisements should be objective, politically neutral and should not promote the political interest of the ruling party. For example, While advertising the mid-day meal scheme offeredRead more

Political parties and candidates are not allowed to use public properties/places for political advertisements. They cannot write on the walls, paste any posters/papers, erect/display any cutouts, hoardings, banners, flags etc as a part of election campaigning. Some examples of public properties are: Railway stations, railway flyovers, bus stands, airports, bridges, Government hospitals, post offices, GovernmentRead more

The MCC applies to all social media platforms. There are five categories of social media that are regulated under the MCC: Collaborative projects (like Wikipedia).Blogs and microblogs (like Twitter).Content communities (like YouTube).Social networking sites (like Facebook).Virtual Game worlds like (Gaming applications). There are some rules that have to be followed by political parties and candidatesRead more

Newspapers All print media including newspapers have to follow the rules under the MCC. The Press has a duty to : Be Objective Give only objective reports about elections and the candidates. Not any exaggerated reports. For example: The press cannot publish any fake news about a candidate’s election campaign. Not Spread Hatred Refrain fromRead more

Radios are also a medium for advertising by political parties and candidates and the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee(MCMC) in every district and state monitors all radio activity. They monitor the radio jingles of all political parties being transmitted on the FM channels so as to take appropriate steps to ascertain whether they are violatingRead more

Television broadcasts on elections must be on general events which are relevant and of common interest to the country, without supporting or criticizing and mocking any other candidate or political party. It is then it is not a violation of the MCC. Some examples are: If there is a live telecast of a cricket match,Read more