The Election Commission of India is convening a National Roundtable Conference on Tuesday at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with participation from State Election Commissioners of all states and Union Territories.
The conference is being chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi will also be present. In addition to State Election Commissioners, their legal and technical experts are expected to attend. Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories will also participate in the meeting.
The Election Commission stated that the primary objective of the conference is to strengthen coordination between the national election body and State Election Commissions. The Commission said that in a country of India’s scale and diversity, election management requires administrative, legal, and technical coordination, and the meeting will emphasize cooperative federalism in the conduct of elections.
The conference follows a similar meeting last held in 1999. The current session is being held after an interval of approximately 27 years.
According to the agenda, the exchange of technical processes will be a key focus area. Detailed discussions will be held on the use of Electronic Voting Machines, including issues related to their security and transparency. Senior officials of the Election Commission will make a presentation on the recently launched digital platform ECINET.
The Commission stated that ECINET is intended to make election management more digital, efficient, and data-driven. Discussions will also cover measures being adopted to ensure the accuracy and updating of electoral rolls.
State Election Commissions were constituted under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections to local self-government institutions, including Panchayats and Municipal Bodies. The Election Commission of India is responsible for conducting general elections and state assembly elections at the national level, while local body elections fall within the jurisdiction of State Election Commissions.
The conference is aimed at strengthening coordination between national and state-level institutions to promote uniformity and efficiency in electoral processes.
