New Delhi, Feb 22 In a one-of-its-kind initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold a national roundtable conference on Tuesday to deliberate and discuss measures on strengthening the electoral processes while stepping up “synergy” between various wings of the poll body, including the State Election Commissioners (SECs).
During the day-long conference at the Bharat Mandapam, extensive discussions will be held centring around technology adoption, robust functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Electoral Rolls and also on how to meet unforeseen challenges.
The roundtable conference, convened after a hiatus of about three decades, assumes significance as they come in the backdrop of the ensuing Assembly elections and also amid the political furore over the purging of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The last such conference was held in the year 1999.
“The primary objective of the Round Table Conference is to foster synergies in the functioning of ECI and SECs with respect to electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks,” the poll body said in a statement.
It added that the deliberations will provide a platform for constructive exchange of ideas and reinforce the spirit of cooperative federalism in the electoral management.
The Roundtable conference will be chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, and will be attended by Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi.
The State Election Commissioners of all states and union territories will participate along with their teams of advisors and experts. The Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all 36 states and union territories will be in attendance.
Senior ECI officials are set to make presentations on key technological and operational initiatives, including the recently launched ECINET digital platform and its transformative potential in streamlining electoral services.
The detailed presentation will also highlight the robustness and safeguards of EVMs, while shedding light on measures taken for advancing transparency in the electoral system.
“Comparative presentation on States/UT-wise eligibility of electors with reference to the Representation of the People Act, 1950 will also be made to facilitate informed deliberations on legal frameworks governing Electoral Roll preparation across jurisdictions,” the EC said.
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