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Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
ECI plans to redefine voting with major initiatives
New Delhi: In a sweeping drive to strengthen electoral management and improve voter facilitation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out 21 major initiatives over the past 100 days. The reforms, introduced under the leadership of the 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, showcase a big strategic push for several areas. These include procedural clarity, technological integration, and stakeholder inclusivity in the electoral process, say EC sources. These steps were charted out during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) held in March 2025. Election Commissioners (ECs) Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi were also present on that occasion. The initiatives represent a 'purposeful, pragmatic, and proactive' approach in the first 100 days of the new CEC's tenure, added the sources. One of the key measures includes reducing the maximum number of voters per polling station from 1,500 to 1,200. The purpose is to reduce congestion and ensure a smoother voting experience. To further improve access, additional polling booths will be established in densely populated areas, particularly in gated communities and high-rise buildings, so that no voter has to travel more than 2 km to cast their vote.
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
CEC Gyanesh Kumar Completes 100 Days: Here Are 21 Reforms Launched By Election Commission
Last Updated: These initiatives come at a time when the ECI has faced considerable scrutiny following various elections Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who took charge of the Election Commission of India on February 19, completed 100 days in office on Thursday. In recent weeks, the ECI, under his leadership, has introduced numerous reforms and changes to provide a smoother experience for both voters and political parties while also streamlining election management. In a statement, the commission said, 'A slew of purposeful, pragmatic and proactive measures has marked the first 100 days of the 26th Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's tenure. The vision for a reinvigorated ECI was charted out by the CEC in the presence of Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) held in March 2025." These initiatives come at a time when the ECI has faced considerable scrutiny following various elections. Voters first Several voter-centric initiatives have been launched, including guidelines for setting up additional polling booths in high-rises and residential colonies to reduce travel time for voters. The commission has also reduced the maximum number of voters per polling station from 1,500 to 1,200, minimising waiting times. Electoral roll updates will now incorporate death registration data directly from the Registrar General of India (RGI) database, subject to verification. This replaces the previous system where a family member had to file Form 7 for the deletion of a deceased voter's name. Voter information slips will be made more user-friendly, with prominent display of serial and part numbers. Furthermore, mobile phone deposit facilities will be provided outside polling stations, addressing a previous logistical challenge for voters. The commission has also replaced all duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers with unique identifiers. In total, 28 stakeholders, including electors, election officials, political parties, and candidates, have been identified within the electoral process. Reforms are being implemented with each of these stakeholders in mind. Training presentations based on the commission's acts, rules, and instructions are being developed for each stakeholder group. Engagement with political parties To enhance trust with political parties, the commission has introduced reforms to improve communication and address concerns. Over 4,700 all-party meetings have been conducted across India at the electoral registration officer (ERO), district election officer (DEO), and chief electoral officer (CEO) levels, involving more than 28,000 party representatives. CEOs oversee elections at the state level, DEOs at the district level, and EROs at the assembly constituency level. These decentralised meetings ensure that party workers at all levels remain informed throughout the electoral process. The commission is also meeting national and state party leaders. Of the six national parties, the CEC has met the presidents of five: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), and National People's Party (NPP). Further meetings are planned after the current by-elections. Canvassing distance norms have been relaxed, allowing candidates and parties to set up booths beyond 100 metres, compared to the previous 200-metre limit. Capacity-building programmes for booth-level agents have been conducted in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. Internal changes and capacity building The commission has launched ECINET, a new integrated dashboard providing all services for all stakeholders at a single point, replacing over 40 apps and websites. A national conference of counsels representing the ECI and CEOs was organised to strengthen synergy and refine the legal framework. Standardised photo ID cards for booth-level officers (BLOs) have also been introduced. Training has been conducted for over 3,500 booth-level supervisors, with an additional 6,000 BLOs/BLO supervisors scheduled for training in the next 45 days across approximately 20 batches. Regular meetings between the ECI and CEOs of all 36 states/union territories are being held to improve coordination between their offices and various ECI divisions. First Published:
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Election Commission meets AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, party leaders in Delhi
New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): The Election Commission of India held a meeting with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener, Arvind Kejriwal and senior party leaders at Nirvachan Sadan in the national capital on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. From the AAP, party leaders Raghav Chadha and Saurabh Bhardwaj joined in the discussions. The meeting is in continuation of the interactions being held by ECI with the Presidents of various national and state political parties. 'These interactions provide for a long-felt need of constructive discussions which enable National and State Party Presidents to share their suggestions and concerns directly with the Commission,' the Election Commission of India stated in a press release. The release further stated that the initiative aligns with the Commission's broader vision of further strengthening the electoral process in accordance with the existing legal framework with all stakeholders. The Commission had earlier met with the delegations of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), led by the Party President Mayawati, on May 6; the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by the Party President Jagat Prakash Nadda, on May 8, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), MA Baby on May 10 and the Party President of the National People's Party, Conrad Sangma on May 13. Earlier, a total of 4,719 all-party meetings have been conducted, including 40 meetings by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3879 by EROs, engaging over 28,000 representatives of various political parties. On May 1, the Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced three new initiatives aimed at improving the accuracy of electoral rolls. These measures are in line with the initiatives as envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Gyanesh Kumar, during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), in the presence of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in March this year, as per an ECI release ECI is also set to redesign Voter Information Slips to make them more user-friendly and informative. (ANI)
Hans India
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
One platform for all electoral services, EC to launch ECINET
New Delhi: In a significant step towards streamlining electoral services, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Sunday that it is developing a comprehensive digital platform, ECINET, which will unify and reorient more than 40 of its existing mobile and web applications into a single, user-friendly interface. Designed to serve electors and key stakeholders -- including election officials, political parties, and civil society -- ECINET aims to simplify electoral processes by offering an aesthetic and accessible User Interface (UI) alongside a seamless User Experience (UX). "In a major initiative, the Election Commission of India is developing a new user-friendly digital interface for the electors and its other stakeholders," the Commission said in an official statement. The one-stop platform will eliminate the need for users to manage multiple apps and logins and will facilitate easy access to electoral data through both desktop and mobile devices, according to the statement. ECINET was conceptualised by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) held in March 2025, attended by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The statement added that the ECINET initiative is positioned to subsume major existing applications such as the Voter Helpline App, Voter Turnout App, cVIGIL, Suvidha 2.0, ESMS, Saksham, and KYC App -- which collectively account for more than 5.5 crore downloads. By doing so, the ECI said it aims to bring convenience to nearly 100 crore voters and the vast electoral machinery, including 10.5 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 15 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from political parties, around 45 lakh polling officials, 15,597 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and 767 District Election Officers (DEOs) across the country. ECINET will only feature data input by authorised ECI officials to ensure accuracy and reliability. In case of discrepancies, the primary data entered in statutory forms will remain the official source. The platform will be fully compliant with the legal provisions of the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960, and the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, as well as with ECI's instructions.
United News of India
04-05-2025
- Business
- United News of India
ECI to launch single-point App to facilitate electoral services; seamless data handling
Hyderabad/New Delhi, May 4 (UNI) In a major initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is developing a new user-friendly digital interface for the electors, and other stakeholders such as the election officials, political parties and the civil society. The new one-stop platform, ECINET, will integrate and reorient over 40 of ECI's existing mobile and web applications, a release said on Sunday. ECINET will have an aesthetic User Interface (UI) and a simplified User Experience (UX) by providing a singular platform for all electoral-related activities. This move is also designed to alleviate the burden of the users for downloading and navigating multiple Apps and remembering different logins. The platform was envisaged by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India Gyanesh Kumar during the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) held in March 2025, in the presence of Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi. ECINET will also enable users to access relevant electoral data on their desktops or smartphones. To ensure that data is as accurate as possible, the data on ECINET will be entered solely by the authorised ECI official. Entry by the concerned official would ensure that the data made available to the stakeholders is as accurate as possible. However, in case of any conflict, the primary data as duly filled in statutory forms will prevail. ECINET will subsume existing Apps like the Voter Helpline App, Voter Turnout App, cVIGIL, Suvidha 2.0, ESMS, Saksham and KYC App which together have clocked over 5.5 crore downloads. ECINET is expected to benefit nearly 100 crore electors and the entire electoral machinery comprising over 10.5 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs), around 15 Lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by Political Parties, nearly 45 Lakh Polling Officials, 15,597 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), 4,123 EROs and 767 District Election Officers (DEOs) across the country. ECINET has already reached an advanced stage of development and rigorous trials are being conducted to ensure smooth functionality, ease of use, and robust cybersecurity measures. It is being developed after an elaborate consultative exercise involving 36 CEOs of all the States/UTs, 767 DEOs and 4,123 EROs of their States/UTs and after reviewing 76 publications comprising 9,000 pages of the electoral framework, instructions and handbooks issued by ECI from time to time. The data provided through ECINET will be strictly aligned within the legal framework established by the Representation of People Act 1950, 1951, Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960 Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and instructions issued by ECI from time to time. UNI KNR RN
