-The Hindu   For the first time, the 62-year old Election Commission has ordered the photographing of all voters of Manipur on January 28, when the State goes to the polls, in order to prevent rigging and impersonation. Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi and Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and H.S. Brahma took the decision on Thursday at Imphal, where they reviewed the poll preparedness with State government officials and representatives of political parties....

-PTI Ahead of elections in five states, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared a proposal to fill pending vacancies in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories in the central government, a move that will benefit around 50,000 people. The proposal, discussed and approved in the Cabinet meeting held here this morning, comes soon after the government decision to allow 4.5 per cent reservation to the minorities within the OBC quota. Sources said a...

-The Indian Express   The Election Commission ponders the “novel challenge” posed by Anna Hazare and his team, which has vowed to campaign against the Congress in the five states that will hold elections in the near future. According to Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi, this raises questions of “propriety and ethics”. The EC, he said, would watch carefully for any breach of the model code of conduct, for any hate speech...

-PTI Asserting that Team Anna’s proposal to campaign against the Congress in the Assembly elections in five states raised questions of “propriety and ethics”, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Sunday said anything that came in the way of free and fair elections was not acceptable. “We don’t have any problem because in a democracy they have a right to oppose or support anybody. It should not be in violation of...

-The Hindustan Times A 45-year-old cotton grower tried to end his life by consuming pesticide at the election meeting of the chief minister Prithviraj Chavan at Dhamangaon in Amravati district, some 200 kms from here in western part of Vidarbha, on Sunday. According to reports reaching here this evening, the incident occurred when the chief minister was addressing an election meeting for the ensuing municipality elections at Dhamangaon on Sunday afternoon.  The...