TNIE online desk
Sukumar Sen : Organised India’s monumental first general election in 1951–52. To enable 173 million mostly illiterate voters to participate, he introduced visual symbols and colored ballot boxes, proving universal adult franchise could thrive in a developing nation.
T. N. Seshan: Transformed the Election Commission into a feared and respected independent body. He introduced Voter ID cards, ruthlessly enforced the Model Code of Conduct, and cracked down on booth capturing, money power, and late-night campaigning.
J. M. Lyngdoh: Stood firm against immense political pressure during the 2002 Gujarat post-riot crisis. He postponed assembly elections until voter rolls were audited and displaced citizens could vote safely, earning the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Dr. S. Y. Quraishi: Created the Expenditure Monitoring Division to tackle paid news and campaign money laundering. He also founded National Voters' Day, launching nationwide drives that massively boosted youth voter participation.
Dr. Nasim Zaidi: Spearheaded the nationwide rollout of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines alongside EVMs, ensuring every vote cast generated an audit-ready paper trail to boost public trust in digital voting.
Sunil Arora: Steered the 2019 General Election and successfully conducted the historic 2020 Bihar Assembly election amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pioneering postal ballots for senior citizens (above 80) and voters with disabilities.