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These initiatives come at a time when the ECI has faced considerable scrutiny following various elections
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. (File image: PTI)
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.
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived…Read More
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived… Read More
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