New Delhi, May 7: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reached a significant milestone by training over 2,300 field-level election functionaries through intensive sessions at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi. In a noteworthy initiative, ECI is now also conducting training sessions in Tamil for participants from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
A total of 293 officials—including 264 Booth Level Officer (BLO) Supervisors, 14 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), two District Election Officers (DEOs), and other election staff—are part of the current training batch.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Shri Gyanesh Kumar, in his inaugural address, highlighted the crucial role of BLOs as the primary interface between the Election Commission and the voters. He underscored the importance of their efforts in maintaining correct and up-to-date electoral rolls.
The two-day training programme, tailored to the specific needs of regional election officials, includes interactive sessions, role plays, and practical modules on handling Forms 6, 7, and 8. Officials are also being trained in the use of IT tools, preparing them to serve as Assembly Level Master Trainers who will subsequently train other BLOs in their respective regions.
Participants were also sensitized about the appeals mechanism as per Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. This includes the right to appeal to the District Magistrate (or an equivalent authority) under Section 24(a), and subsequently to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the State/UT under Section 24(b), if needed.
Notably, no appeals were filed from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry following the conclusion of the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise conducted from January 6 to 10, 2025—reflecting the efficiency of the recent electoral roll processes.
This initiative is part of ECI’s larger mission to train over one lakh BLOs across the country in the coming years, ensuring a robust and transparent electoral system.