A government panel has floated the idea of making Voting compulsory in civic and panchayat elections, with a fine of Rs 25 for anyone who chooses not to vote despite the absence of disabling circumstances. The panchayati raj ministry task force has argued that higher polling is likely to reduce the influence of money power on election results. A low turnout suggests that only committed voters and those who have accepted money...

The smart card versus unique identity number battle between P. Chidambaram and Montek Singh Ahluwalia will hit the ground tomorrow at Porthapur village in Andaman and Nicobar Islands when the home minister hands out the first tranche of 2.56 lakh resident identity cards. The resident cards are a rival to the unique identity number conceived by the Planning Commission to establish authentic identification for each resident and cut out corruption in...

-PTI   The Delhi high court on Tuesday said that electronic Voting machines (EVMs), that have come to be the backbone of elections in India, are not "tamper-proof". The court, however, refused to direct the EC to incorporate a paper trail to record votes cast through EVMs. Giving its ruling on a petition, the HC bench comprising Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said it was not impossible to tamper...

Cast your vote online in municipal elections, no matter which part of the globe you are in, is the government's message. Online Voting has also caught the fancy of Norway, which has failed to come up with a well-tested system. The Panchayati Raj Ministry has directed the State Election Commissions (SECs) to allow this facility at the earliest in a bid to encourage lax urban voters to exercise their franchise. The State...

-IANS   Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, accused of writing an inflammatory article, can't be arrested till Jan 30, the Delhi High Court ruled Friday even as it asked him to refrain from penning such pieces.  "Seek undertaking from your client that he will not write any such article (which can spread enmity between communities) in future," Justice M.L. Mehta told senior counsel K.T.S Tulsi appearing for Swamy.  Tulsi assured the court that Swamy...