Notification of Presidential Election, 2012

By a Notification published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary today (the 16th of    June, 2012), the Election Commission has fixed the following schedule for the Presidential Election, 2012:-

(a) June 30, 2012, as the last date for making nominations;

(b) July 2, 2012, as the date for the scrutiny of nominations;

(c) July 4, 2012, as the last date for the withdrawal of candidates; and

(d) July 19, 2012, as the date on which a poll shall, if necessary, be taken.

            By another Notification issued on the 14th of June, 2012, the Commission has appointed Dr. V.K. Agnihotri, Secretary-Gneral, Rajya Sabha, as the Returning Officer for the Presidential Election, 2012 and Shri S.K. Ganguli, Joint Secretary and Shri Deepak Goyal, Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, as the assistant Returning Officers.

As required under rule 3 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, the Returning Officer has by a Public Notice notified today, the 16th of June, 2012 that:

i.   Nomination papers may be delivered by a candidate or any one of his proposers or seconders to the undersigned at his office in Room no. 29, Ground Floor, Parliament House, New Delhi, or if he is unavoidably absent, to the Assistant Returning Officers, Shri S.K. Ganguli, Joint Secretary/Shri Deepak Goyal, Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat at the said office between 11 A.M. and 3.P.M. on any day (other than a public holiday) but not later than the 30th of June, 2012;

ii.    each nomination paper shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the entry relating to the candidate in the electoral roll for the Parliamentary constituency in which the candidate is registered as an elector;

iii.   Every candidate shall deposit or cause to be deposited a sum of Rupees Fifteen thousand only. This amount may be deposited in cash with the Returning Officer at the time of presentation of the nomination paper or deposited earlier in the Reserve Bank of India or in a Government Treasury and in the latter case a receipt showing that the said deposit of the sum has been so made is required to be enclosed with the nomination paper;

iv.   forms of nomination papers may be obtained from the above said office at the time aforesaid;

v.   the nomination papers, other than those rejected under sub-section (4) of section 5B of the Act, will be taken up for scrutiny at the said office in Room No. 29, Ground Floor, Parliament House, New Delhi on Monday, the 2nd of July, 2012 at 11 A.M.;

vi.   the notice of withdrawal of candidatures may be delivered by a candidate, or any one of his proposers or seconders who has been authorized in this behalf in writing by the

vii.   candidate, to the undersigned at the place specified in paragraph (i) above before three o’ clock in the afternoon of the 4th of July, 2012;

viii.   in the event of the election being contested, the poll will be taken on Thursday, the 19th of July, 2012 between the hours of 10 A.M. and 5 P.M. at the places of polling fixed under the rules.

            Arrangements have also been made for simultaneous publication of these Notifications and the Public Notice issued by the Returning Officer in all the States/Union Territories Gazettes.

            For any queries regarding the election process, Dr. V.K. Agnihotri, the Returning Officer for the Presidential Election, 2012 and the Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha may be contacted in his office (Room No. 29, Ground Floor, Parliament House, New Delhi) between 3.30 P.M. and 4.30 P.M. on all working days including Saturdays falling within the period of filing of Nomination Papers, i.e. 16th, 23rd and 30th June, 2012 (other than public holidays).