Union Budget Will Not Mention Any Delhi-Specific Scheme, Says CEC Rajiv Kumar

New Delhi: The Union Budget 2025-2026 will not mention any scheme for Delhi or related to the National Capital due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), said the Election Commission of India (ECI) as it announced polling schedule for the Assembly elections on Tuesday. The Election Commission said that polling in Delhi will be held on February 5 (Wednesday) and the counting of votes will take place on February 8 (Sunday). There are a total of 70 Assembly seats in Delhi.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, who made the announcement, said that the poll body will write to the Cabinet Secretary to inform that no Delhi related schemes or provisions shall be made in the budget that may impact the elections.

“We will write to the cabinet secretary that no Delhi-specific provision can be made in the Union Budget that can disturb the level-playing field,” CEC Rajiv Kumar said.

Apart from the Delhi elections, bypolls in two constituencies including Milkipur in Uttar Pradesh and Erode in Tamil Nadu will also be held on February 5. The results will be declared simultaneously on February 8.

CEC dismisses election tampering allegations 

Announcing Delhi election schedule, CEC Rajiv Kumar underscored the integrity of India's electoral process, asserting that not a single discrepancy has been found in votes counted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.

“Let me tell the nation today. After the Supreme Court mandated in 2019 that five VVPATs must be counted from each assembly constituency, over 67,000 VVPATs have been checked,” Rajiv Kumar said.

"This translates to more than 4.5 crore (VVPAT) slips being verified. And let me assure you that not even the difference of one vote has been found with the new machines since 2019," he said.

The CEC also pointed out that any minor errors, such as technical glitches in some of the older machines or mock poll data not being cleared, are handled with precision.

"There could be instances where a machine's data is set aside during the counting process. However, these instances are reviewed thoroughly and the slips are counted if they could potentially impact the victory margin," he explained.

Kumar highlighted that the guidelines for every aspect of the electoral process, from electoral rolls to machine handling, are rigorously followed and shared with political parties.

The CEC reiterated the transparency and robustness of the election mechanism, dismissing allegations of vote tampering.

"Our process is not only thorough but also transparent. Form 20, which contains the exact details of winners and losers, is handed over to all candidates," Kumar said.

The Election Commission has been subjected to scrutiny and demands for greater accountability, including the counting of all VVPAT slips, by opposition parties.

With inputs from PTI