Election Commission begins training programme for field functionaries from Jharkhand

The Election Commission on Monday (May 19, 2025) began a two-day training programme for frontline election functionaries from Jharkhand. The participants, numbering 402, would be trained in interactive sessions, role plays, simulating house-to-house surveys, case studies, and hands-on exercises for filling various forms for voter registration.
The participants include deputy electoral officers, electoral registration officers, booth-level officers (BLO) and BLO Supervisors.
The capacity-building programme for frontline election functionaries from Jharkhand was inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) here.
3,000 trained so far
The EC has trained over 3,000 such participants from across the country over the last three months.
Addressing the functionaries, Mr. Kumar asked the participants to make electors aware of provisions like first and second appeals under Sections 24(a) and 24(b) of Representation of the People Act 1950, an official statement from the EC said.
The first and second appeals against the final electoral rolls can be made with the District Magistrate/District Collector/Executive Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the State/Union Territory, respectively. No appeals were filed from Jharkhand after the completion of the special summary revision exercise as of January 6-10 earlier this year.
The curriculum of the programme includes interactive sessions, role plays, simulating house-to-house surveys, case studies, and hands-on exercises for filling Forms 6, 7 and 8. Additionally, participants will receive practical training on the Voter Helpline App and the IT tools. Technical demonstrations will be held. They will be trained in the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verified paper audit trails (VVPATs), as well as the conduct of mock polls.

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Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

• Hindustan Times

Polling station clips may breach privacy of voters, says EC

The Election Commission of India has revised its rules for accessibility of video footage recorded during polls, saying that such footage cannot be viewed by anyone except a court hearing an election petition as it could breach privacy of voters and raise security concerns. Polling station clips may breach privacy of voters, says EC Sharing the footage — recorded through CCTVS, webcast or videography — would enable easy identification of electors by any group or individual, and would leave them vulnerable to 'pressure, discrimination, and intimidation by anti-social elements', officials familiar with the matter said citing the EC's communication. In a circular dated June 18, the commission directed all states and Union territories that the revised rule will apply to elections notified after May 30, 2025. '[The videos] shall be produced in original before the High Court adjudicating an election petition on its order and shall not be opened and their contents shall not be inspected by, or produced before, any person or authority except the High Court adjudicating the Election Petition,' the commission said in the circular, which also contained previous communications pertaining to the preservation of video. HT has seen a copy of the circular. The changes have come in the backdrop of a demand by the Congress and other opposition parties to release post-5pm CCTV footage from polling booths in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections. In December last year, the government tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV cameras and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. Based on the recommendation of the EC, the Union law ministry amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of papers or documents open to public inspection. The commission has also directed it officials to destroy such video footage after 45 days of declaration of results if the election verdict is not challenged in courts, a separate circular issued on May 30 and cited in the latest circular said. Since election results cannot be challenged beyond 45 days, retaining such footage beyond this period would make it susceptible to misuse for 'spreading misinformation and malicious narratives', an official familiar with the matter said. But in case an election petition is filed within the stipulated time of 45 days, the videos will not be destroyed and made available to the competent court, the official cited above said. Providing videos is akin to providing access to Form 17A (register of voters) — which contains information pertaining to the sequence in which electors enter a polling station, serial number of the elector in the electoral roll — under Rule 49L of the Conduct of Election Rules, the official said. 'Violation of secrecy of voting is a punishable offence under section 128 of RPA, 1951 [maintenance of secrecy of voting] with imprisonment for a term up to three months or fine or both. Thus, ECI is legally bound and committed to protect the privacy of the electors and secrecy of voting,' the official said requesting anonymity. A second official said that safeguarding the interests of its electors is 'of prime concern'. 'For the ECI safeguarding the interests of its electors and maintaining their privacy and secrecy is of prime concern, even if some of the political parties/ interest groups mount pressure on the Commission to abandon the laid down procedures or to ignore the security concerns of the electors. Maintaining privacy and secrecy of the elector is non-negotiable and the ECI has, never in the past, compromised on this essential tenet laid down in the law as well upheld by the Supreme Court,' the second official said, requesting anonymity. The move triggered a sharp reaction from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who accused EC of 'deleting evidence' when it was required to 'provide answers'. 'Voter list? Will not give machine-readable format. CCTV footage? Hidden by changing the law. Election photos and videos? Now they will be deleted in 45 days, not 1 year. The one who was supposed to provide answers - is the one deleting the evidence,' Gandhi alleged in a post on X. 'It is clear that the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy,' the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha posted in Hindi. Gandhi has been demanding voter lists, poll data and video footage from the election commission, alleging irregularities in Maharashtra assembly elections. While the ECI did not respond to Gandhi's comments, a third official said: '[Opposition's remarks] suit their narrative in making the demand sound quite genuine and in the interest of voters and safeguarding the democratic process in the country, it is in fact aimed at achieving exactly the opposite objective. What is veiled as a very logical demand, is actually entirely contrary to the privacy and security concerns of the voters.' Earlier in the week, a purported video showing two people standing at the EVM in a polling booth during the Visavadar assembly bypoll in Gujarat — held on June 19 — emerged on social media, with EC launching a probe into how the video was leaked.

Time of India

6 hours ago

• Time of India

EC: Sharing video footage of booth breaches voters' privacy

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India Today

10 hours ago

• India Today

Cameras, courts and confidentiality: Inside Election Commission's 45-day rule

While one is hearing whispers from many quarters that videos from the polling stations should be made available, sources with the Election Commission have told India today that this is VOTER SECRECY COMES FIRST - ECIThe Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a firm stance:It will not yield to political privacy and security are will not be released publicly except under court secrecy is a constitutional guarantee, protected under Section 128 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Any violation of this confidentiality is a punishable offence, inviting imprisonment, fines, or FOOTAGE: WHY IT'S STORED AND WHY IT CAN'T BE SHARED Despite mounting pressure from political parties and advocacy groups, polling station footage will not be made public, sources within the Election Commission told India video recordings related to polling are preserved for 45 days after election results are declared in line with the statutory window for filing an Election Petition (EP) under Indian such a petition is filed, the footage is retained until the legal proceedings conclude and may be submitted in court if EXACTLY GETS RECORDED?The Election Commission deploys video surveillance and webcasting extensively to uphold transparency and accountability throughout the election process. Recordings cover:EVM checking and storageMovement and transport of voting machinesActivities inside and outside polling stations on voting dayThe counting processCampaign events and public ralliesadvertisementThis system allows the EC to track expenditures, ensure compliance with the Model Code of Conduct, and address any electoral violations PUBLIC SHARING OF THIS FOOTAGE IS PROBLEMATICDespite its critical role in election monitoring, this footage is not intended for public release. Calls to make it public, although framed as transparency demands, are both misleading and dangerous, the EC cautions. Key Risks Include:Threat to Voter PrivacyPolling footage can unintentionally disclose:Identities of voters entering of individual about voter turnout or access to such data can lead to:Voter profilingTargeted harassment or intimidationRetaliation in areas with low or 'undesirable' turnoutSources in the EC stress that such risks strike at the heart of free and fair LEGAL SHIELD: SECRECY AND THE COURTSSupreme Court Precedent: Right Not to Vote = Right to PrivacyIn the landmark case People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India (2013), the Supreme Court ruled that:Citizens have the right not to right is covered under the right to the act of abstaining from voting must be kept non-voters could expose them to coercion, pressure, or social discrimination, all of which are = A 'LIVE' FORM 17AadvertisementElection footage effectively mirrors Form 17A, a sensitive record maintained at polling stations that logs:Voter arrival roll from polling stations captures similar details, making it equivalent to a 'live' version of Form Rule 93(1) of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, Form 17A is protected from public access and can only be examined under court supervision. Since video footage captures similar data, its public release without legal sanction is equally OF MISUSE: A REAL POSSIBILITYMaking this footage publicly accessible can have severe consequences:Political actors may identify and target voters who didn't support may face harassment, inducement, or social can be edited or misused, fuelling conspiracy theories and prevent such scenarios, the EC discourages footage retention beyond 45 days unless a legal challenge necessitates MEANT FOR INTERNAL OVERSIGHT, NOT PUBLIC DISTRIBUTIONWebcasting serves as a real-time monitoring mechanism for the EC, helping prevent malpractice and streamline election its purpose is strictly a court requires this footage during an election petition, the EC will provide it with full assurance that judicial processes also safeguard voter Watch