Bill to regulate appointment of top poll officers passed in Lok Sabha, clears parliament

News Network

December 21, 2023

New Delhi, Dec 21: With most Opposition members outside the House after a spree of suspensions, the Lok Sabha today passed a Bill to establish a new mechanism for appointment of Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners.

While the Bill received a majority vote in the House, Asaduddin Owaisi remarked that proximity and faithfulness to the Modi government will be considered as a qualification factor in the Bill.

Earlier, the Rajya Sabha had approved the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023. Therefore, the legislation has now cleared parliament. It will now go to the President for her assent.

During the discussion on the legislation in Lok Sabha today, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the 1991 Act on the service conditions of top poll officers was a half-baked attempt and the present Bill covers the areas left out by the previous legislation. The Bill was then passed by a voice vote.

The legislation underwent substantial changes following objections from various quarters. The Opposition has slammed the legislation, saying it would compromise the independence of the poll panel.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that election commissioners must be appointed on the advice of a panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India. The landmark judgment was aimed at insulating the top election body from political interference. The court, however, held that the judgment will hold good till government comes up with a law.

In the new legislation, the government replaced the Chief Justice with a Union Minister. This, the Opposition has alleged, gives the government greater powers on the appointment of top poll officers and compromises the autonomy of the poll body.

During the discussion the Bill in Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala said the autonomy, fearlessness and fairness of India's democracy and electoral machinery have been crushed by a bulldozer.

"Modi government has attacked the democracy of India. The autonomy, fearlessness and fairness of India's democracy and electoral machinery have been crushed by a bulldozer," he said.

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‘This is how it began in Gujarat’: Modi outlines BJP’s political ambitions in Kerala

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January 23,2026

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

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January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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