EC takes 21 initiatives in 100 days to streamline poll management

Business Standard

3 days ago

In a bid to enhance voter experience and streamline poll management, the Election Commission has launched 21 new initiatives over the past 100 days, officials said on Thursday.
These measures, they pointed out, span procedural reforms, training programmes and stakeholder engagement.
The measures have marked the first 100 days of the 26th Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, they noted.
To improve voter access, the poll authority has revised the maximum number of electors per polling station from 1,500 to 1,200. Additional polling booths will be set up in densely populated areas such as gated communities and high-rise buildings.
The Commission, they said, aims to ensure that no voter is required to travel more than 2 km to cast their vote.
Voter information slips have been redesigned for clarity on the polling station number. As a significant boost to the convenience of voters, a mobile phone deposit facility will be set up at the entrance of every polling station.
Booths set up by candidates will now be permitted just beyond 100 metres from the entrance of the polling station gate as opposed to 200 metres from the polling station premises.
To facilitate a simpler user interface, a single-point new integrated dashboard, ECINET, has been developed with the aim to provide all services for all stakeholders at a single point instead of the existing 40-plus applications.
The poll panel has also initiated direct integration of death registration data from the Registrar General of India to enable timely and verified removal of deceased electors from the rolls.
A special summary revision has been held ahead of a byelection as prescribed in the law. This is the first such exercise to be conducted ahead of a byelection in decades, the officials said.
In a move to institutionalise regular interaction with political stakeholders, the EC facilitated 4,719 meetings across the country with participation from over 28,000 political party representatives.
The Commission has also held consultations here with leaders of recognised political parties, including AAP, BJP, BSP, CPI(M) and NPP, with more meetings with the national political parties and state political parties planned after the current bypolls.
A comprehensive training framework has been developed for 28 categories of stakeholders identified across the electoral process. These modules are based on provisions of the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951; the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960; and the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, along with EC's instructions.
Among other reforms, the EC has implemented biometric attendance at its headquarters, activated the E-Office system and held regular CEO-level review meetings. These measures are intended to improve internal coordination and operational efficiency.