New Delhi, May 22: In a bid to enhance grassroots electoral participation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a two-day training programme for Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi. A total of 229 BLAs—both BLA-I and BLA-II—from 11 National and State political parties are participating in the session, which is being conducted bilingually in English and Tamil.
Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar inaugurated the training and addressed the participants, stressing the crucial role of BLAs in ensuring transparent and efficient electoral processes. “BLAs play a vital part in maintaining error-free electoral rolls and upholding the democratic spirit at the grassroots level,” he said. He further noted that the training will enable BLAs to better fulfil their roles as defined in the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, and other ECI-issued guidelines.
This marks the second such training batch held at IIIDEM this year. The first session was organized for BLAs from Bihar on April 16–17, 2025.
During the programme, BLAs were briefed on their appointment procedures, legal responsibilities, and operational duties, including the mechanisms for raising first and second appeals under Sections 24(a) and 24(b) of the RP Act, 1950. These sessions aim to ensure that BLAs are well-versed in addressing concerns related to the final publication of electoral rolls.
In parallel with the training initiative, the ECI has intensified its engagement with political parties. It has conducted 4,719 all-party meetings so far, including 40 by Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), 800 by District Electoral Officers (DEOs), and 3,879 by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), involving over 28,000 representatives from across the political spectrum.
