New Delhi, April 22: In less than a month since assuming office, the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India, Shri Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, has initiated a series of bold reforms to strengthen the electoral process and deepen democratic participation across the country.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has activated the entire electoral machinery—from the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) down to Booth Level Officers (BLOs)—with a renewed focus on maximizing voter participation and ensuring a seamless voting experience. The ECI reaffirmed that India’s nearly 100 crore electors remain the cornerstone of its democratic framework.
As part of this transformative push, the Commission is enhancing engagement with political stakeholders. Nearly 5,000 all-party meetings have been organized at the CEO, District Election Officer (DEO), and Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) levels across the country. The move has been widely welcomed by political parties, who are now being offered digital training modules and guidance on legal provisions concerning voter list corrections, claims, and objections.
In a significant update, the ECI revealed that only 89 first apepeals and one second appeal were filed following the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise conducted from January 6–10, 2025. The Commission emphasized that the inclusion or deletion of names from electoral rolls is strictly governed by legal procedures under the Representation of People Act, 1950. In the absence of appeals, the electoral roll prepared by the ERO is deemed final
To further improve the quality of the electoral roll, the ECI is working closely with the UIDAI to eliminate duplicate EPIC numbers—a decades-old issue the Commission aims to resolve within three months. Regular updates to the voter list will be aligned with data from birth and death registration authorities for accuracy.
The Commission is also tackling urban apathy and rural accessibility by ensuring that no polling station serves more than 1,200 voters and is located within 2 kilometers of the electors. Even in remote rural areas, all polling stations will be equipped with Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF), while high-rise urban clusters will see polling stations established within their premises to boost turnout.
In a landmark move for continuous capacity building, the ECI recently organized a two-day national conference at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) on March 4–5. For the first time, DEOs and EROs from all states and UTs participated alongside CEOs. The conference laid down a stakeholder-mapped framework to energize over 1 crore election officials nationwide. Digital training kits in multiple languages, animated videos, and integrated dashboards are being developed to facilitate learning and implementation.
BLOs, the frontline workers of the election process, will soon undergo specialized training through newly devised modules aimed at improving their effectiveness.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has directed that regular all-party meetings continue at all levels to address issues raised by political stakeholders and ensure transparency. This engagement drive will be completed across India by March 31, 2025. Furthermore, political parties have been invited to submit suggestions concerning any aspect of election conduct by April 30, and to meet with the Commission in New Delhi at their convenience.
Through these initiatives, the ECI is laying the groundwork for a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient electoral system that upholds the highest standards of democratic governance.