Latest news with #IIIDEM
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- 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
5 days ago
- 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.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
ECI launches 18 new initiatives for fair assembly polls in Bihar
1 2 3 Patna: In view of the upcoming Bihar assembly polls due later this year, Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a plethora of initiatives to "strengthen democracy", amid frequent questions raised by the opposition over its "impartiality". Authorities said 18 initiatives have been launched that will prove to be a milestone in preparing for the upcoming elections and ensuring their "fair conduct". As part of the first initiative, the ECI has limited the number of voters to 1,200, instead of 1,500, at a single booth, which the officials said, will reduce crowding and make the voting process smoother. The ECI has further planned to set up additional polling stations in cities with high-rise buildings and densely populated colonies to enhance urban voters' access to booths. Among other moves, the ECI has issued two more instructions for providing a mobile phone depositing facility for voters just outside the polling stations and rationalising norms for canvassing. The ECI said that in a significant step towards making the poll process "more transparent, inclusive, technology-enabled and voter-centric", it held 282 meetings with recognised political parties in the state, during which a total of 2,271 representatives participated. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Fogo de Chão: a experiência máxima do churrasco Fogo de Chão Clique aqui Undo Apart from these, the poll body has arranged proper training of booth-level officers and agents involved in the electoral process with the objective to ensure "the accuracy of the voters' list" and "empower the roles of all stakeholders". A total of 53,954 poll personnel from Bihar have received training so far by India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM). Further, an orientation programme was conducted through IIIDEM to connect social media and media systems with the electoral process, and ensure their effective use for the state-level social media nodal officers and media nodal officers. Kapil Sharma, the social media nodal officer and media nodal officer of Bihar, participated in this programme. Additionally, a team of 60 police officers, led by Bihar's state nodal police officer Kundan Krishnan, also received a special training related to elections at the IIIDEM. A report received from the ECI said instead of using over 40 apps and websites, a unified system called ECINET will now be implemented, allowing all stakeholders to access services at one place. The ECINET will feature an appealing user interface and a simple user experience, integrating more than 40 existing mobile and web applications. This will eliminate the need for users to download multiple apps and remember different logins. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
India Gazette
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
ECI inaugurates two-day conference of CEOs to ensure correct and updated Electoral Rolls
New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): The Election Commission of India inaugurated a two-day conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi on Friday. The two-day programme, which was organised by Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, was followed by an interaction with the participants. The conference focused on leveraging technology to ensure correct and updated electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections. The event brought together top officials from across the country to discuss strategies and innovations in election management. Earlier, on April 23, the Election Commission of India had organised a two-day training and capacity-building session for Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and other field-level functionaries at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi. That was the third such batch of BLOs to be trained from the poll-bound state of Bihar. 229 Booth-Level Officers (BLOs), 12 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and two District Election Officers (DEOs) from the State are participating in the two-day training programme. A specialised one-day training programme for the State Police Nodal Officer (SPNO) and Police Officers from Bihar also commenced. ECI said that the training is planned to familiarise the BLOs with their roles and responsibilities as per the statutory framework and equip them to ensure error-free electoral rolls. They will also be trained in the IT applications designed to support their roles. This is the latest in the first phase of the ongoing physical training programmes at IIIDEM, in which 555 BLOs from the poll-bound states of Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam and 279 Booth Level Agents (BLA)--the first of 10 recognised national and state political parties from Bihar--have already been trained. 'These well-trained BLOs will form a corps of Assembly Level Master Trainers (ALMTs) to strengthen the entire network of BLOs nationwide,' ECI said. The poll body said the training of SPNOs and Police Officers from Bihar aims to improve coordination between election authorities and the police for enhanced electoral management, especially in the areas of law and order, vulnerability assessment, Paramilitary forces (CAPF) deployment, and model code of conduct (MCC) enforcement. ECI said that to date, over 3,000 participants from 141 countries, including large democracies such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Brazil, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Israel, Russia and South Africa, have benefited from training programmes from India's globally acclaimed election management practices at IIIDEM. (ANI)
Hans India
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
ECI launches capacity-building programme for field-level officers from Bihar, Haryana and Delhi
New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday inaugurated a two-day capacity-building training programme for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), BLO Supervisors, and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) from Haryana and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The training is being held at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi. A total of 371 grassroots electoral officers are participating in the programme -- including 306 BLOs from Bihar, 30 EROs and BLO Supervisors from Haryana, and 35 from Delhi. With this batch, more than 2,600 field-level officials have been trained by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the past two months in New Delhi. In his address, the CEC announced that standardised identity cards would soon be issued to BLOs to facilitate their door-to-door verification duties. He added that participants of this training would go on to train other BLOs in their respective states and union territories. Emphasising adherence to electoral laws, the CEC reminded the trainees that their responsibilities must be carried out strictly in line with the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, and the directions issued by the Commission from time to time. The training programme aims to strengthen participants' practical understanding of electoral procedures, particularly in voter registration, form handling, and field-level operations. It includes orientation on the appeal mechanisms under Section 24 of the RP Act, 1950 -- with first appeals made to the District Magistrate/Collector or Executive Magistrate under Section 24(a), and second appeals to the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24(b). It may be noted that no appeals were filed from Bihar, Haryana, or Delhi following the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise conducted from January 6 to 10 this year. The curriculum features interactive sessions, role plays, simulated door-to-door surveys, case studies, and hands-on exercises for Forms 6, 7, and 8. Participants will also receive practical training on the Voter Helpline App (VHA) and other IT tools. Technical sessions on the operation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs), including mock polls, are also part of the programme.
