Election Commission to host national conference of state election commissioners after 25 years

Kolkata: The EC will host a national conference of state election commissioners (SECs) on February 24, marking the first such meeting in over 25 years, the poll panel said on Wednesday.

The conference, to be held in New Delhi, is expected to be attended by State Election Commissioners from all states and Union Territories, a senior official said.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will chair the conference, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and address the participants at the inaugural session, he said.


The last national-level conference of SECs was held in 1999.

State Election Commissioners will participate in the deliberations along with their legal and technical experts, while Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from all 36 States and Union Territories will also attend the conference, the EC said.

"The primary objective of the Conference is to build synergy in the functioning of EC and SECs with respect to the electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks," the official said.

The discussions will focus on key aspects of electoral management, including electoral laws, elector eligibility in States and Union Territories, and technological interventions, he said.

Sessions will also cover digital initiatives spearheaded by the Commission, such as the recently launched ECINET platform, as well as the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), among other topics.

The ECINET is a mobile application that serves as a centralised digital platform for citizens and officials of the Election Commission.

The poll panel said it would share its expertise gained from conducting elections and preparing electoral rolls under the constitutional and legal framework of the country, with an aim to strengthen coordination between the EC and SECs.

State Election Commissions are constituted under laws enacted by the respective states in accordance with the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, and are vested with the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and conduct of, polls to Panchayats and Municipal Bodies.