Interesting facts about Indian elections

PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's mother and father share the same name- Krishna, His father's name is Krishna Bihari Vajpayee and mother's name is Krishna Devi!

Designed by Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. and Bharat Electronics Ltd, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were first used in Kerala.

The highest number of candidates that an electronic voting machine can support is 64. If the number exceeds this, then manual ballot is used!

EVMs can record a maximum of 3840 votes. As normally the total number of electors in a polling station will not exceed 1500, the capacity of EVMs is more than sufficient!

EVMs can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates!

Did u know there is provision for 16 candidates in a Balloting Unit!

The word candidate comes from the Latin `candidatus` meaning `one clad in white` and most, till this day carry on with this white!`Ballot` and `bullet` are both derived from words for `balls`. The Greeks dropped a white ball when they favoured a candidate, and a black when they were against. The term `blackballed` comes from this too!

Ever heard of 1033 candidates for a single seat? Believe it or not, it did happened for the Modaurichi assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu in 1996. The ballot paper was in the form of a booklet!

From its days of glory in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress in 1988 won exactly zero seats!

Mayawati`s BSP and George W Bush`s Republican Party both have the same electoral symbol-the elephant!

A B Vajpayee is the only parliamentarian to be elected from four different states- UP, Gujarat, MP and Delhi!

The lowest voter turnout in a polling station is three! It happened in Bomdila district in Arunachal Pradesh!

Elections in 1950s were carried out using different ballot boxes for each candidate, rather than voting on ballot paper! Different coloured boxes represented different parties!

The Election Commission of India has seen many firsts, but here`s another first -- it had two election commissioners who are fluent in Gujarati. N Gopalaswamy, was an IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre and, therefore, speaks Gujarati. That 63-year-old Chief Election Commissioner Taruvai Subbayya Krishna Murthy also speaks fluent Gujarati!

Lakshadweep has the largest presence of Muslims of all the states/UTs including Jammu and Kashmir!

Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh is the only constituency in the Hindi belt that has always returned Congrss during the general elections!

Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the only politician who has won from six different constituencies: Balrampur - 1957, 1967, Gwalior - 1971, New Delhi - 1977, 1980, Vidisha- 1991, Gandhinagar - 1996, Lucknow - 1991, 1996, 1998 !

BJP won Lok Sabha seats for the first time in the states of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal in 1998!

Rajnandgaon in earlier in Madhya Pradesh now in Chattisgarh has a unique feature- father, mother and son have represented this constituency at different times!

The highest voting percentage in any general elections has been 62.2 per cent in 1957, the lowest was in 1967 when only 33 per cent cast their vote.

Election Commission survey says 95% voters prefer EVMs!

150 million votes to be targeted by the BJP`s campaign via-e-mail and SMS!

Number of EVMs required this election: 10.25 lakhs!

As per Section 8 (3) of R. P. Act, 1951, if a person is convicted of any offence and sentenced to an imprisonment of 2 years or more, this will be disqualification to contest elections.
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Loksabha polls 2009 in MP

Shoe throwing is momentary lapse of intelligence

Throwing shoes at politicians seems to have become a trend of sorts with a boot being hurled at former US President George Bush by an Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi.

There were times, when people use to make a garland of shoes and make the person wear it, blacken his face and make him sit over a donkey take this procession in the whole village. Now with changing times the old tradition is replaced by shoe throwing.

The trend… it seems has finally arrived in India. If I can recall 2004 was about India Shining, 2007 was about Modi masks and now 2009 is about shoe hurling.

A second objectionable incident of its kind in a week shows shoes are arresting the democracy of India. Congress MP Navin Jindal was made the target by a retired teacher in his own constituency. Ram Kumar, a retired school principal, however, missed his target. The retired teacher said he is doing so in protest of the policies of the Congress.

Earlier this week, a Sikh journalist Jarnail Singh had hurled a shoe at Union Home Minister P Chidambaram at a press conference in Delhi protesting against the CBI clean chit to Congress candidate Jagdish Tytler in an anti-Sikh riots case.

We all feel for the political state of our country.. but aren't we responsible for it? The aggression is justified. Throwing shoes will not lead us anywhere.. wrong is wrong..the electing of our Representatives is our concern and should remain but not just when the election are close. Embarrassed by the shoe hurling incident and pressurised from various areas the Congress no doubts was forced to withdraw the candidatures of Mr. Tytler and Mr. Kumar in view of strong public sentiment against them for their alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots but shoe throwing was unprecedented.

The general consensus of the public clearly affirms unless instigated by politicians there can never be communal riots.We have the right to voice our resentment but on time. Unless we all bond together we will be a witness to such more barbarian acts. We will have no answers for the next generation.

Elections or no elections, the seriousness of the issues must not die down. Its been more than 60 years we have gained independence. We have not bothered to care. That is why we are unable to reap the results of democracy. The dogmas of the political masters should be wrecked. We have to be proactive.

If we do not open our eyes now, then it will be too late for introspection. I don’t care if none of our so called leaders ever wake up to do the right . lets care first.. We must not allow parties and politicians who serve their political purpose by dividing people on communal lines. Lets vote for a good candidate.

Every shoe dosent work. ..

INVENT INDIA

Is politics a service or a profession

Friends are u aware?

Parliamentary institutions in India, with all their modern ramifications, owe their origin to India's British connections. Until 1853, there was no legislative body distinct from the Executive. The Charter Act of 1853, for the first time provided some sort of a legislature in the form of a 12 member Legislative Council. The Indian Independence Act, 1947 declared the Constituent Assembly of India to be a full sovereign body. Apart from being a Constitution drafting body, it also assumed full powers for the governance of the country. With the coming into force of the Constitution on 26 January, 1950, the Constituent Assembly functioned as the Provisional Parliament until the first Lok Sabha, then known as the House of People, and was constituted following General Elections in 1952. Lok Sabha, the Hindi nomenclature was adopted on 14 May, 1954.
The Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of people chosen by direct election on the basis of Universal Adult Suffrage. The Constitution provides that the maximum strength of the House be 552 members - 530 members to represent the States, 20 members to represent the Union Territories, and 2 members to be nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian Community. At present, the strength of the House is 545 members.

The term of the Lok Sabha, unless dissolved, is five years from the date appointed for its first meeting. However, while a proclamation of emergency is in operation, this period may be extended by Parliament by law for a period not exceeding one year at a time and not extending in any case, beyond a period of six months after the proclamation has ceased to operate.

After election to Parliament, the members become entitled to certain amenities. These amenities are provided to members with a view to enable them to function effectively as Members of Parliament.
Broadly speaking, the amenities provided to the members relate to salaries and allowances, travelling facilities, medical facilities, accommodation, telephones, etc. These are governed by the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954 and the rules made thereunder.
An Important Issue!
Salary & Govt. Con s cessions for a Member of Parliament (MP) Monthly Salary: Rs. 12,000/- Expense for Constitution per month: Rs. 10,000/-

Office expenditure per month: Rs. 14,000/-

Traveling concession (Rs. 8 per km): from delhi to the deatination approximately 50,000
Daily DA TA during parliament meets: Rs. 500/day Charge for 1 class (A/C) in train: Free (For any number of times) (All over India )

Charge for Business Class in flights: Free for 40 trips / year (With wife or P.A.)

Rent for MP hostel at Delhi: Free.

Electricity costs at home: Free up to 50,000 units.

Local phone call charge: Free up to 1, 70,000 calls.

TOTAL expense for a MP [having no qualification] per year: Rs.32, 00,000/-
[i.e. 2.66 lakh/month]

TOTAL expense for 5 years: Rs. 1, 60, 00,000/- For 534 MPs,

the expense for 5 years: Rs. 8,54,40,00,000/-
This is how all our tax money is been swallowed and price hike on our regular commodities......... And this is the present condition of our country: 855 crores could make their life

The biggest loot witnessed by mankind

I have shared this information in the month of Nov 2008 with my facebook friends and once again I share this on my blog.

With personal account deposit bank of $1500 billion in foreign reserve which have been misappropriated, an amount 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt, one needs to rethink if India is a poor country?.CJ: Ramesh C. Manghirmalani.

Dishonest industaralists, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS,IFS officers have deposited in foreign banks their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ 1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country’s foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each. This huge amount has been appropriated from the people of India by exploiting and betraying them.

Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India, the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.

80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently. “Obviously, these people won’t be tourists. They must be travelling there for some other reason,” believes an official involved in tracking illegal money. And, clearly, he isn’t referring to the commerce ministry bureaucrats who’ve been flitting in and out of Geneva ever since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations went into a tailspin!Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal sex trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, sucked this country’s wealth and prosperity. This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks?Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries:
Top five
India---- $1456 billion
Russia---$ 470 billion
UK-------$390 billion
Ukraine- $100 billion
China-----$ 96 billion
Now do the maths - India with $1456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined.
Public loot since 1947: Can we bring back our money?
It is one of the biggest loots witnessed by mankind -- by his brethren occupying public office. It has been orchestrated by politicians, bureaucrats and some businessmen. The list is almost all-encompassing.No wonder, everyone in India loots with impunity and without any fear

What is even more depressing in that this ill-gotten wealth of ours has been stashed away abroad into secret bank accounts located in some of the world’s best known tax havens. And to that extent the Indian economy has been stripped of its wealth. Ordinary Indians may not be exactly aware of how such secret accounts operate and what are the rules and regulations that go on to govern such tax havens. However, one may well be aware of ’Swiss bank accounts,’the shorthand for murky dealings, secrecy and of course pilferage from developing countries into rich developed ones.

In fact, some finance experts and economists believe tax havens to be a conspiracy of the western world against the poor countries. By allowing the proliferation of tax havens in the twentieth century, the western world explicitly encourages the movement of scarce capital from the developing countries to the rich.In March 2005, the Tax Justice Network (TJN) published a research finding demonstrating that $11.5 trillion of personal wealth was held offshore by rich individuals across the globe. The findings estimated that a large proportion of this wealth was managed from some 70 tax havens.Other Articles by Ramesh C. ManghirmalaniFurther, augmenting these studies of TJN, Raymond Baker -- in his widely celebrated book titled ’Capitalism’s Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free Market System’ -- estimates that at least $5 trillion have been shifted out of poorer countries to the West since the mid-1970. It is further estimated by experts that one per cent of the world’s population holds more than 57 per cent of total global wealth, routing it invariably through these tax havens. How much of this is from India is anybody’s guess.

What is to be noted here is that most of the wealth of Indians parked in these tax havens is illegitimate money acquired through corrupt means. Naturally, the secrecy associated with the bank accounts in such places is central to the issue, not their low tax rates as the term ’tax havens’ suggests.

Tell me how can India be saved?
LETS INVENT INDIA.