-The Hindu   ‘Colourful' is a word much associated with elections in India. The Election Commission of India has just reinforced that association, and also given new meaning to that phrase ‘pink elephants' — no longer is it an allusion only to alcohol-induced visions, or the fantasy land of ‘Dear Jessie' in the Madonna song. But seriously, can there be the slightest doubt that the EC's order to cover up all statues...

—PTI With Law Minister Salman Khursheed raking up a controversy over “administrative control” of the Election Commission, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured the poll body that the government was committed to upholding its functional autonomy guaranteed under the Constitution. Mr. Khursheed said in a TV interview that the Law Ministry had control over the Election Commission, prompting Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi to write to the Prime Minister on December 29,...

The Election Commission's crackdown on candidates using black money in electioneering has forced politicians to come up with innovative methods. Two ATM vans, belonging to two private banks, were seized with nearly Rs 13 crore cash in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh last week by Income Tax's flying squad, a part of which has remained unclaimed for the last four days. The EC has written to RBI to instruct the two large private...

-The Hindu The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand poll schedule announced by the Election Commission (EC). A Bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar dismissed a public interest writ petition seeking rescheduling of the Assembly elections, holding that it was not for the court to decide the schedule. Petitioner C. P. Vyas said that while the U.P. Assembly elections...

-The Hindustan Times The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday directed the Centre to stop the implementation of the 4.5% quota for minorities in the five election-bound states till the poll process is over.  The government had announced its decision to carve out the 4.5% sub-quota from the 27% reservation for OBCs on December 22, two days before poll dates were out and the model code of conduct kicked in. In a retrospective decision,...