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Hindustan Times
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Bihar-like voter revision in Bengal too? State poll chief says EC can decide, ‘training on, if SIR held…'
To the question whether or not a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls will take place in West Bengal, the state's chief electoral officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, has said such a decision can be taken only by the apex poll panel, the Election Commission of India. Opposition parties have repeatedly raised questions on the poll process, including the electronic voting machines (EVMs, in picture) and the EC's move to seek citizenship proofs from voters. (Representative/AFP file) Training of booth-level officers (BLOs) and supervisors will ensure preparedness if the process is initiated, he added, sharing details of training sessions. "If SIR takes place, the training will equip BLOs to carry out their responsibilities effectively. However, the decision rests entirely with the ECI," Agarwal further said. The SIR currently being held in Bihar — which has elections in October-November — has led to a major political controversy. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has said she won't allow such an exercise in her state, which is due for polls early next year. Opposition parties, including Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, accuse the BJP-led central government of using the EC to manipulate the voter lists. The issue is currently also in the Supreme Court. BJP leaders in Bengal have spoken of how a similar revision will be held in West Bengal, which has elections next year. Also read | SIR needed in Bengal too, says state BJP chief, 'else it'll become West Bangladesh' "The EC has decided to train the officers. Earlier, there was no such training. The poll panel has an institute, IIIDEM, where people have been trained to make them understand the work, their statutory functions," Agarwal said, as per a PTI report. The IIIDEM stands for India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, established in 2011. BLO and other officials' training was held in Malda on July 24, and in Purba Bardhaman on July 25. A session was scheduled for Kolkata on July 26, followed by Midnapore and Jalpaiguri on subsequent days.
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Business Standard
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
EC will decide SIR of electoral rolls in Bengal: WB chief electoral officer
Stating that the decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls lies solely with the Election Commission, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Friday said training of booth-level officers (BLOs) and supervisors will ensure preparedness if the process is initiated. He said training of the BLOs was an ongoing process, and a similar session would be held in Kolkata on Saturday and in the other districts in the following days. "The EC has decided to train the officers. Earlier, there was no such training. The poll panel has an institute, IIIDEM, where people have been trained to make them understand the work, their statutory functions," Agarwal said. According to sources, the CEO held a virtual conference with the BLOs on Friday. The IAS officer said the training would help if the SIR of electoral rolls was initiated in Bengal. "If SIR takes place, the training will equip BLOs to carry out their responsibilities effectively. However, the decision rests entirely with the ECI," Agarwal clarified. "Yesterday, training took place in Malda. Today, it happened in Purba Bardhaman, and tomorrow it will take place in Kolkata. Day after tomorrow, it will take place in Midnapore and on July 28 in Jalpaiguri," he added. The ongoing SIR of voters' list in Bihar has created a political row, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging the move aims to delete a large number of voters. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
ECI launches 23 new reforms to strengthen electoral process
Vijayawada: In a move to bolster the electoral process, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out 23 new initiatives spanning six key areas — electors, political parties, election staff, legal stakeholders, procedural reforms, and internal enhancements within the commission. During an informal briefing in Velagapudi on Friday, P Pawan, deputy director (media division), said the ECI introduced a first-of-its-kind mobile deposit facility at polling booths. This service, aimed at easing the voting experience, was piloted during the recently held bye-elections for five assembly seats across four states. Among other initiatives, the ECI has increased the number of polling stations and capped the maximum number of voters per station at 1,200. To improve accessibility, additional booths are now being established in high-rise buildings and residential colonies to encourage greater voter participation. Elaborating more about the initiatives for political parties, Pawan mentioned that the ECI successfully conducted capacity-building programmes for booth level agents of political parties of Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry states at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Pelajari Undo Subsequently, the canvassing norms in terms of distance were reduced to 100 metres from the entrance of polling stations. Moreover, the ECI held Pan India all-party meetings at the CEO/DEO/ERO levels. "A total of 4,719 meetings, including 40 meetings at the CEO level, 800 at DEO, and 3,879 at ERO levels, were held with over 28,000 representatives from various political parties participating in the meetings," the ECI deputy director added. Drawing attention to the procedural reforms, the ECI official said to resolve the bogus voters issue, the ECI introduced a new mechanism for unique EPIC numbers. Also, the full-fledged digitisation and upgradation of the voter turnout rate (VTR), index card, and statistical reports publishing process for faster dissemination of VTR trends and other electoral data was taken up by the ECI. Furthermore, over one lakh booth level officers (BLOs) and supervisors would be trained in the next few years, with training for 3,000 booth level supervisors completed at IIIDEM, New Delhi. In addition, the BLOs will be given a standard photo ID card, the ECI official added.
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
ECI has taken 23 initiatives to strengthen electoral system, says its Deputy Director
Election Commission of India (ECI) Deputy Director (Media Division) P. Pavan said the ECI took 23 initiatives aimed at strengthening the electoral system, with a focus on improving facilities to voters, political parties, and election staff, between February 19 and June 10, 2025. They also included some procedural reforms, legal measures and innovations, he said, while stressing the significant role played by the media in increasing voter turnout in elections. Interacting with media persons at the Secretariat on Friday (June 20, 2025), Mr. Pavan said voter information slips were being made more useful now by prominently displaying voter serial numbers and part numbers, and data related to deaths was being collected from the Registrar General of India database, and necessary changes were being done in the electoral rolls after due verification. The ECI mandated that each polling station should have a maximum of 1,200 voters, and facilities like additional polling booths in apartments/colonies were being provided. Regarding political parties, Mr. Pavan said the campaign boundary had been reduced to 100 metres from the entrances of polling stations, and noted that 4,719 meetings were held across the country at the CEO/DEO/ERO levels with various political parties involving over 28,000 party representatives. Training programmes for booth-level agents were being conducted at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM). The procedural reforms included digitisation of Voter Trend Reports, index cards and statistical reports to ensure faster dissemination of election data. A new integrated dashboard called ECINET had been launched replacing more than 40 apps / websites with a single platform for all services. The introduction of a unique EPIC number had resolved the issue of duplicate voter IDs. Standard photo ID cards were being issued to booth-level officers. Through the offices of Chief Electoral Officers of States, special training programmes were being conducted at the IIIDEM for media / communication officers from 36 States / UTs, Mr. Pavan added.
Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
The many firsts in Bihar elections – phone deposit areas, fewer voters per booth, faster polling
As Bihar prepares for the Assembly elections later this year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is rolling out several initiatives that will make a debut in the state. 'The ECI is focusing on making voting easier, faster and fairer, and the electoral process more inclusive,' ECI assistant director Apurva Kumar Singh said. 'We're introducing changes based on past feedback, many debuting with the Bihar elections.' For the first time, polling booths will feature mobile deposit facilities – a response to complaints from voters struggling to manage their phones. 'This will ease their burden, especially for those voting alone,' Singh said. The ECI will also cap the number of voters per polling station at 1,200, down from 1,500, to 'cut congestion, reduce waiting times and speed up voting'. Additional booths will be set up in high-rise buildings and residential colonies, targeting densely populated urban pockets, a tactic borrowed from recent Lok Sabha successes in many cities. Voter Information Slips are also getting a makeover. The ECI expects to trim 20-30 seconds off each voter's processing time by enlarging the serial and part numbers for easier readability, leading to shorter queues and smoother voting. Updating the electoral roll is on the ECI's priority list, with a first-of-its-kind Special Summary Revision (SSR) planned ahead of by-elections – the first in nearly two decades. To address outdated entries, the ECI will utilise the Registrar General of India's (RGI) death registration database. 'Using death registration data from the RGI, followed by door-to-door checks, we will keep updating the electoral roll. Deletion is a sensitive issue. We won't remove names without ground verification,' Singh said. For the first time, booth-level agents, including those from 11 Bihar-based parties, have been trained at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Delhi, where all the election-related officials are trained. 'Political parties are our biggest stakeholders, along with the voters,' Singh said. The canvassing distance norm has been slashed to 100 meters from polling station entrances to balance visibility and order. The ECINET dashboard, a single-app solution replacing over 40 existing platforms, will also launch during the Bihar elections. Duplicate EPIC number issues have also been resolved, ensuring every voter gets a unique identifier, the ECI officer said. Election staff are not being left behind. Booth-level officers (BLOs) will now carry standard photo ID cards – another first – to foster trust and ease public interaction. 'Not having proper IDs was a hurdle,' Singh said. Apart from this, over 3,000 booth-level supervisors, including those from Bihar, have been trained at IIIDEM, with plans to train one lakh more nationwide. Similarly, training for a batch of police officers has been conducted at the institute. The ECI assistant director said that the poll body is also considering orientation for media personnel throughout the country at IIIDEM, in batches, starting with Bihar-based journalists to sharpen election reporting and voter education efforts. The electoral body aims to increase voter turnout to the national average of 66.10%, up from Bihar's 56.28% in the last Lok Sabha elections.
