New Delhi, July 3: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday organised its second one-day conference for Media and Communication Officers, bringing together more than 260 Media Nodal Officers (MNOs), Social Media Nodal Officers (SMNOs), District Media Nodal Officers, District Public Relations Officers (DPROs), and senior officials from Public Relations Departments of 16 States and Union Territories.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi, addressed the participants, highlighting the importance of transparent communication and proactive engagement to strengthen public trust in the electoral process.
The Chief Election Commissioner said every action of the Commission is guided by the Constitution of India, electoral laws and written instructions issued transparently from time to time. He cautioned officials against the spread of false narratives on social media and urged them to proactively counter misinformation. He also said the record voter turnout witnessed in recent Assembly elections reflected the confidence of Indian voters in the country’s electoral system.
Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi said emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfakes, synthetic media and other misleading digital content posed serious risks to public trust in democratic institutions. He urged media and communication officers to respond effectively using the Commission’s rules, guidelines and communication framework, while also engaging young voters through Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs).
The conference featured sessions on communication strategies throughout the election cycle, including electoral roll management, polling, vote counting, ECINET, constitutional provisions and media-related legal aspects.
Participants also attended practical sessions on drafting press notes, strengthening outreach through traditional and social media, countering misinformation, promoting electoral literacy among youth and communicating the Commission’s initiatives effectively.
The programme included demonstrations on the preparation of electoral rolls, polling procedures and counting processes, along with guided visits to the Election Commission’s exhibition and media corner.
The conference also provided a platform for officials from states that recently held elections to share their experiences and best practices. It concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session between participants and the Election Commission.
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